Englishman David Elleray (67) has resigned from the presidency of the professional arbitration board of the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA).
Elleray has been working as a consultant at KBVB since December 2018 to raise the bar for Belgian arbitration. The Football Association has now begun the process of searching for a successor to the head of the Professional Arbitration Board.
Peter Bossart, CEO of KBVB, replied: “I first met David in London three and a half years ago.” At the time we were actively looking for someone who could come up with a plan to rebuild the Belgian arbitration. This meeting resulted in a beautiful and positive cooperation in which the Belgian rulers led by David made great progress and closed the gap with the major European countries. I am really grateful to David for what he has achieved. Of course, there are still many challenges to the Belgian refereeing and we will continue to work on them next season. I completely understand David’s decision and wish him all the best in South Africa, a country so dear to him.
Elleray has spent a lot of time in South Africa during the coronavirus pandemic. He built a house there. “Because I now spend more time in South Africa than the UK and need to be physically present at work again, I have reconsidered my international obligations, particularly those that require me to attend regular meetings, refereeing sessions and matches,” said Elleray, who was himself a referee at Premier League For many years, “I have come to the conclusion that I will not be able to travel to Belgium often enough to perform my duties in a professional manner.”
So it is with great sadness that I have decided to resign from my position. I had the honor to embark on the restructuring and growth of Belgian arbitration and also to contribute to the establishment of a well-functioning and highly effective professional arbitration department (PRD). The significant progress in performance both on and off the field is the result of the dedication of many people; This progress is hopeful for the future, as well as the growing international reputation of the Belgian rulers. I congratulate all the match officials and all the people who direct and work with them and thank them for their professional conduct and friendship. I will continue to follow the Belgian arbitration closely and wish all KBVB staff all the best for the future.
And it was announced earlier that Elleray would retire at the end of the current season as head of the referee department in the English Football Association. A new investigation was launched against him recently for possible racist statements in 2014. In the end, no punishment was followed due to lack of evidence, but some of the recommendations in the investigation report will be implemented.
