David Roland Elleray, , is an English former footballreferee who officiated in the Football League, Premier League and for FIFA. As of May 2016 he held the position of Technical Director at the IFAB. During his career as a prominent referee in England, Elleray officiated a number of notable matches, including the FA Cup Final, the highest domestic honour for an English referee. Due to his Oxbridge background and "day job" as a teacher at a public school, Elleray has been described as "schoolmasterly" and "" by the press. His teaching role entailed time conflicts with his role as a leading referee before his retirement.
Early life
Elleray was educated at Dover Grammar School for Boys where he excelled at a range of sports and started refereeing football games at the age of 13 to earn extra pocket money. He won a scholarship to read geography at Hertford College, Oxford and was a keen rugby player and rower. While at university, he was promoted through the Hellenic, Isthmian and Panel Leagues and eventually become a Football League referee in 1986. He remained there until his inclusion on the original Premier League Referees' List in 1992, and also became a FIFA referee in that year.
Career
Elleray is a career geography teacher and spent over 30 years at Harrow School, where he held various leadership roles such as head of geography, director of boarding, and housemaster of Druries House before his retirement in 2009. Early in his teaching career, he was noted for controversially reintroducing football at Harrow - a school better known for its rugby and cricket traditions - in 1977. Elleray stepped down as a FIFA-listed referee in 1999, having officiated 78 international matches in 35 countries. He officiated at Wembley Stadium 13 times but was unable to officiate at the 1998 World Cup in France due to school commitments. During his refereeing career, Elleray is remembered for a number of incidents, including awarding a dubious penalty kick to Manchester United in the 1994 FA Cup Final against Chelsea. Elleray later admitted in his autobiography that he "blew without thinking" and although he knew he had made a mistake, he could not change his mind. He was also the referee when Ryan Giggs scored his 'wonder goal' in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay against Arsenal at Villa Park, and when David Beckham scored from inside his own half against Wimbledon in 1996. Even though he sent-off Manchester United's Roy Keane four times, when he retired Keane sent him a letter wishing him well and a signed jersey. Elleray was recognised by coaches, players and fans for being a firm, fair and consistent referee. After the 1994 FA Cup Final, UEFA president Lennart Johansson told Elleray: "Europe needs referees like you. I do not care whether the second penalty was a foul or not. The easy decision would to have given nothing. You showed strength and courage. Congratulations!" In 1999 Elleray had death threats from Manchester United supporters after Liverpool made a comeback which could have prevented their team winning the title. He awarded Liverpool a dubious penalty and then sent Denis Irwin off for attempting a pass because he hadn't seen the official's flag, allowing Liverpool to bring the game to 2-2. Martin Edwards, the United chairman, claimed that a medal should be struck for Elleray should Arsenal win the league. The result however did not impact United's pole position or winning the title that season due to Arsenal losing at Leeds a few days later so therefore not taking advantage. It was a long time before Elleray refereed United again. In 2002 Elleray was voted onto the FA Council as the member for Independent Schools. He retired from refereeing at the end of the 2002–03 season. His last match was Newcastle United's 1–0 win over Birmingham on 3 May 2003, during which he sent-off Blues defender Matthew Upson.
