THE DAVID ELLERAY STORY

David Elleray, MBE born 3 September 1954 in Dover, Kent, The former football referee 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. 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 recognized 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 have given nothing. You showed strength and courage. Congratulations!"In 1999 Elleray had death threats from Manchester United supporters after making one or possibly two clear decisions that could have prevented Manchester United winning the title during a match against Liverpool at Anfield. The first being a decision to award Liverpool a penalty following a challenge by Jesper Blomqvist which was shown in replays to be a fair challenge and the second a decision to send off Dennis Irwin by giving a second yellow card after he passed the ball on after the whistle had gone for after foul. These decisions were claimed to have been responsible for Liverpool's revival to claim a 2-2 draw when before the decisions Manchester United was 2-0 ahead. 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. During his career as a prominent referee in England, Elleray officiated a number of notable matches, including the FA Cup Final, the highest domestic honor 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 "posh" by the press. His teaching role entailed time conflicts with his role as a leading referee before his retirement.
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[@neil7994]

I love it too - he was a real man of integrity.

[@gm2407]

Never thought I would see a program about this man.

[@kennyli7945]

Thank you so much for finding and uploading this!