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. (Source: Eurosport)
Football's Black referees have questioned the promotion of another official to the Premier League while they remain under a glass ceiling. With refereeing standards in the spotlight after a series of Premier League controversies, the lack of non-white officials continues to leave many so incensed they believe they are languishing in a ‘Black man’s graveyard’. Hartlepool whistler Tony Harrington took charge of his first Premier League game last Wednesday, Brighton ’s home clash with Wolves. In September, Aussie Jarred Gillett became the first non-British referee to run a Premier League game when he officiated Watford against Newcastle. Ongoing talks for years have failed to see Black and Asian officials fast-tracked in the same way as their white counterparts. Out of less than 200 referees across the country’s top seven divisions, just a handful are Black or Asian and only Sam Allison has made it to the referees’ list for Leagues One and Two. Their frustrations are not with Harrington or Gillett but with a system they believe is not geared towards support for Black referees to be similarly fast-tracked, despite claims from English football’s stakeholders they want the game to be more diverse. One Black referee, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “This is so disheartening and begs the question for many of us: ‘What’s the point of taking the abuse and unjustified poor marks from clubs and observers every week when you’re not going to get anywhere?’” Another said: “Could the secret be shared as to how these referees achieved their goals so quickly, so that everyone has an equal opportunity?” A third added: “I’ve had this for the last 14 years as a level four referee. My white colleagues overtook me at incredible speed.”
The spotlight is now being turned on the FA’s observers. Across the men’s and women’s professional game and the semi-professional tiers, there are just 14. Many non-white referees believe the lack of diversity among the FA’s observers is a factor in their glass ceiling. Several have also cited inappropriate language used by assessors. One told Mirror Sport: “I remember two observers assessing me. Instead of being constructive they joked about how I looked like the TV character Luther. If I complained, people would say I was being petty but it sums up the culture we are up against. Why is there no pipeline for the next referee of colour now? Why is it that two of our white colleagues follow two varying pathways in their careers? They are supported, well trained and sponsored yet no such privilege is afforded to a referee of colour?” Another added: “No matter what I do in the middle or on the line, I just know that it is pointless. Why do I do it? Easy. One day the situation will change.” (Source: Mirror)
