David Elleray to step down as referees’ chief with FA set to launch investigation into racism allegations
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Updated 22/12/2021 at 19:34 GMT
Elleray refereed in the Premier League between 1992 and 2003 and was, at one stage, one of the most recognisable officials in English football. He remains an influential figure behind the scenes given that, as well as being chairman of the FA’s referees’ committee, he is also technical director at the International Football Association Board, the body which determines the laws of the game.
David Elleray will leave his current role with the FA at the end of the season
Image credit: Getty Images
David Elleray is set to step down from his role as chairman of the Football Association’s referees’ committee at the end of the season, following the news that the FA is set to launch an investigation into racism allegations against him.
Elleray made his debut as a Football League referee in 1986 and officiated in the Premier League between 1992 and his retirement in 2003. He was, at one stage, one of the most recognisable referees in English football, taking charge of the 1994 FA Cup final, where Manchester United beat Chelsea 4-0, among various other showpiece events.
As chair of the FA referees’ committee, the 67-year-old remains a highly influential figure behind the scenes. He is also technical director at the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body which determines the laws of the game.
Last week, The I newspaper reported that the FA had opted to open an independent investigation into Elleray’s conduct following new allegations against him from former staff members. Elleray was found in breach of the FA Council Code of Conduct in 2014 in a separate investigation launched after he made racist comments to a black FA employee, Rob McCarthy, at a referees’ conference at St George’s Park.
Elleray was heard to say to McCarthy: “You look rather tanned” and “Have you been down a coal mine?” While, at the time, the FA said that they had not received an official complaint over the incident, Elleray was formally censured, apologised and was required to take an equality and diversity training course.
The FA has commissioned a law firm to oversee the latest investigation, which will begin in the new year. Earlier this month, I reported that an anonymous whistleblower had come forward to complain about Elleray’s behaviour and the way the 2014 investigation was handled.
Since then, Martin Cassidy, chief executive of Ref Support UK, has contacted the FA with further – as yet unproven – allegations against Elleray. While the latest investigation will not re-examine what happened in 2014, it will take into account any new evidence that emerges with regards to that incident.
Elleray has been involved in several high-profile controversies, with former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg accusing him of “bullying” in 2018. The FA did not investigate as it did not constitute a formal complaint.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, Clattenburg said: “David doesn’t know it, but he was the one who spurred me on.
“His negativity and his bullying – and I use the word bullying because it was a form of bullying – he was the one who pushed me to where I got, because his words always stuck in my mind.”
Likewise, in 2020, Elleray was criticised after telling a group of up-and-coming referees: “There are too many beards, tattoos and beer bellies in this room.” After that particular incident, Cassidy told the Telegraph: “With the mental pressures on referees, the last thing they need is to be told that they’re fat.
“We are worried as a charity that pressure that the FA put on some referees might encourage eating disorders because some of them get really obsessed by their fitness.”
Along with his other roles, Elleray spent 13 years as president of the Referees’ Association before stepping aside in 2017. He was awarded an MBE in 2014 for services to football.
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