Farai Hallam
| Full name | Farai Hallam | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | England | |||||||||||||
| Other occupation | National Referees Manager | |||||||||||||
| Domestic | ||||||||||||||
| Years | League | Role | ||||||||||||
| 2023- | English Football League | referee | ||||||||||||
| 2026- | Premier League | referee | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
Farai Hallam is an English association football referee in the English Football League (EFL) and Premier League and former player.
Career
Hallam was originally a youth player in Stevenage's academy as a defender. After Stevenage released him aged 18 in 2012, he gained a job at The Football Association (The FA) and qualified as a referee to ensure he remained involved in football.[1][2] By 2020, Hallam had been appointed as The FA's national referee manager.[3] Hallam move through the ranks of officiating in England, affiliated to the Surrey County Football Association,[4] and made his first officiating appearance in the EFL in 2023. Hallam refereed his first EFL match in 2024.[5]
In January 2026, Hallam made his first Premier League appearance refereeing a match between Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers. During the match, he was asked by the video assistant referee (VAR), Darren England, to review a potential penalty award for Manchester City, which Hallam had denied. Hallam gained recognition for being the first Premier League referee to refuse to overturn his decision when asked to by VAR.[2]
Personal life
Hallam was born to an English father of Italian descent and a Zimbabwean mother in England.[6] He had stated as a player that he had a desire to represent the Zimbabwe national football team.[7]
References
- ^ Sutcliffe, Steve (26 February 2015). "His Story: Farai Hallam". League Football Education. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Debutant referee Farai Hallam sets Premier League first by ignoring VAR to deny Man City". ESPN. 24 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ "Former Stevenage player Farai Hallam appointed National Referee Manager for the FA". Southern African Times. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ^ "Meet referee Farai Hallam". East Anglian Daily Times. 20 October 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Farai Hallam makes 'brave' call to deny Man City penalty against Wolves". BBC Sport. 24 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ "Mixed Up: 'You don't have to be white to be English – I'm proud to represent modern England'". Referees Association. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ "Teenage Zim star shines". Herald Online. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2026.