Referee boss Ellere, who controlled referee appointments + drafted VAR agreements, was accused of bullying employees

According to an exclusive report by Sam Wallace, a prominent reporter for the Daily Telegraph, the FA has launched an investigation into the refereeing department, with allegations that David Ellera, the most powerful leader in the British refereeing industry, bullied the staff of the governing body and made inappropriate remarks, which may force the investigation to be expanded.

Ellere has been presiding over the FA's refereeing department for more than a decade, and the Telegraph has been informed of the allegations against him, some of which are outrageous. For the first time, the FA has confirmed that Ellere will step down this summer after the incident fermented.

A woman who held senior positions in the FA's refereeing department for many years told the Daily Telegraph that Ellerre called her "the old bag" (that is, describing the grumpy and ugly middle-aged women) and finally referred directly to "the OB". The woman later left the FA and took her to the Employment Arbitration Court on another matter.

Another former referee's employee in his department, who suffered from a hereditary eye disease and needed to leave for 6 months, is now legally blind, accusing Ellere of taunting his condition. The person, who asked not to be named, told The Telegraph that he returned to work earlier in 2012 and met Ellere at a desk in the FA's Wembley office. The former employee said that Ellere said a sentence: "I want to say that it is a pleasure to see you, but unfortunately you can't see it." ”

At a subsequent Christmas party, the employee was given a pair of joke glasses with spring-eyed eyes as part of a mysterious Christmas gift game. He later learned that it was done by a colleague of the FA, not Ellere.

At the direction of the FA, Lee Barnett, a lawyer at the Parc Brenn law firm, is conducting an independent investigation.

Barnett's initial mission was to investigate the FA's response to Ellere's comments on black referee coach Rob McCarthy in St. George's Park in 2014. Ellere never denied that in a crowded room he said something to McCarthy: "You look tanned, have you ever been in a coal mine?" ”

Last year, a whistleblower told FA Chief Executive Mark Brinham that he filed a formal complaint about the remarks at the time but never acted. Ellere was treated as an FA employee (he wasn't) and was required to attend diversity training courses. Ellere then apologized to McCarthy, who left the FA directly.

A third former FA employee, referee coach Martin Cassidy, has dropped anonymity, revealing details of his own negotiations with Ellere in another arbitration case. In 2013, Cassidy was called to a meeting to discuss the coach's restructuring. Cassidy now runs a charity called Ref Support UK, which helps officials become independent of the sport's authorities.

At the meeting, Ellere and his then deputy, Barry, the former FA's senior referee development director, raised the question of whether Cassidy's wife, who was seriously ill at the time, would affect his ability to work.

Ellere took over the FA Referees' Committee after retiring in 2003 and has since had a huge impact on refereeing careers in the Premier League, the EFL and other leagues. Similarly, Ellere is responsible for selecting elite referees and law enforcement officials who are qualified to take charge of UEFA matters such as the Champions League and World Cup finals.

During his presidency of the Referee Committee, the 3-year limit on the chairman's term of office was officially lifted. Ellere is also believed to have worked as an advisor to the Royal Belgian Football Association and the Russian Football Federation. Neither governing body responded to requests for comment.

Ellere also served as technical director of the International Football Association, the body that controls the rules of football. Starting with the 2016-2017 season, he oversaw 178 legal changes. Elleré also wrote the Var protocol, which has now been redrafted at least 11 times. The chaos of the subsequent VAR deal drafted by Ellere forced FIFA to take over directly.