David Elleray's teaching role entailed time conflicts with his role as a leading referee before his retirement.
16 Facts About David Elleray
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David Elleray gained a scholarship to read geography at Hertford College, Oxford and was a keen rugby player and rower.
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David Elleray remained there until his inclusion on the original Premier League Referees' List in 1992, and became a FIFA referee in that year.
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David Elleray is a career geography teacher and spent over thirty years at Harrow School, where he held various positions, such as head of geography, director of boarding, and housemaster of Druries House, before his retirement in 2009.
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David Elleray stepped down as a FIFA-listed referee in 1999, having officiated 78 international matches in 35 countries.
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David Elleray officiated at Wembley Stadium 13 times but was unable to officiate at the 1998 World Cup in France due to school commitments.
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David 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.
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In 1997, David Elleray was yet again at the centre of controversy when, during the FA Cup Semi-final between third-tier's Chesterfield FC and Premier League's Middlesbrough FC, he failed to award a goal to Chesterfield after the ball had clearly bounced over the line and surprisingly, awarded a free-kick to Middlesbrough instead.
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David Elleray was 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.
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In 1999, David Elleray received death threats from Manchester United supporters after Liverpool made a comeback which could have prevented their team winning the title.
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In 2004, David Elleray accepted the position as Honorary President of the Board of the Referees' Association of England for three years, and was a FIFA and UEFA referee assessor and instructor.
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David Elleray was chairman of the Independent Schools Football Association.
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David Elleray was awarded an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University in 2010.
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David Elleray was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to football.
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David Elleray has held the position of Technical Director for the International Football Association Board since at least May 2016.
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One of the most recognisable figures in English football, David Elleray's life featured in an award-winning documentary, The Man in Black, for Channel 4.