A complaint of historic racism has been lodged to the FA against David Elleray, one of the most powerful officials in world football. Elleray, chair of the FA’s referee committee and technical director of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), made comments to a black official during a referee conference at St George’s Park in 2014. In front of several witnesses, Elleray said to referee Rob McCarthy “You look rather tanned” and “have you been down a coal mine?”. The FA said at the time it did not receive a complaint but “gave this matter its full consideration and it is our view that the comment did breach the FA Council Code of Conduct”. Elleray apologised, was reminded of the Council Code and took an equality and diversity training course. However, a complaint from a whistleblower, who was present at the conference attended by more than 30 officials but wants to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, has now landed with the FA calling for an independent investigation into the 2014 incident, how it was handled by the governing body and Elleray’s conduct while working for the organisation.
At the time of the comment, Elleray, now 67, was chairman of the FA’s referee committee and held advisory roles at UEFA and FIFA. In 2014, he was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to football. Elleray was a Premier League referee from its inception in 1992 to 2003, took charge of more than 70 internationals and refereed the FA Cup final. Since retiring from refereeing in 2003, he has risen to become one of the most influential officials in the game. As of the 2021/22 season, Elleray sits on three FA committees. He is chair of the referee committee, a National Game representative for the Football Regulatory Authority and is a member of the youth participation committee. As technical director at IFAB, he has the power to shape the game’s rules and has overseen more than 150 changes to the law book, including the introduction of video assistant referees.
As well as the racist comment in 2014, Elleray has been involved in a series of controversies. In 2018, former referee Mark Clattenburg, one of English football’s most successful officials who in 2016 took charge of the finals of the FA Cup, Champions League and European Championship, accused Elleray of “bullying” him while he was a Premier League official. No formal complaint was made to the FA and therefore no investigation was conducted into the claim. Last year [2020], Elleray was also accused of fat-shaming officials after telling a group of aspiring referees: “There are too many beards, tattoos and beer bellies in this room.” At the time, Elleray did not deny making the comment, but said it was likely that he had commented on the importance of appearance and that there was an expectation that referees look “smart and athletic”. An FA spokesperson told i: “The FA investigated inappropriate comments made by David Elleray in 2014 and found that he breached the FA Council Members’ code of conduct. He apologised unreservedly for his actions. Nonetheless, as a result, Mr Elleray was ordered to undertake mandatory diversity and inclusion training and was reminded of his responsibilities as an FA Council Member. The FA has made great strides in recent years and continues on its journey to ensure that there is a zero-tolerance approach towards discrimination both on and off the pitch. This commitment is reiterated in our equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, A Game For All, which was published earlier this year. We will always thoroughly investigate any incidents or allegations of discrimination, taking appropriate action when necessary. Delivering a game free from discrimination remains core to the values and strategy of the organisation.” Attempts were made to contact Elleray via the FA and IFAB, but he did not respond. IFAB declined to comment.
Source: iNews
