First black Premier League referee Rennie dies aged 65

Uriah Rennie, nan Premier League's first achromatic referee, has died aged 65.

Rennie joined nan database of lucifer officials successful 1994 and oversaw much than 300 games, including 175 successful nan Premier League betwixt 1997 and 2008.

Anti-discrimination kindness Kick It Out said Rennie was "a trailblazer successful each sense", adding: "He will ever beryllium a Premier League fable by becoming its first achromatic referee, providing leadership, talent and visibility that proved inspirational to many.

"Uriah played a monolithic domiciled successful shaping nan crippled arsenic we cognize it today. Football should ever beryllium grateful to him."

The Premier League said: "Uriah was a pioneering trailblazer whose bequest will unrecorded on, continuing to animate early generations."

Rennie precocious revealed he was learning to locomotion again aft a uncommon information near him paralysed from nan waist down.

His family said he had been "privately battling a caller crab diagnosis" anterior to his death.

Born successful Jamaica, Rennie moved to Sheffield arsenic a kid and grew up successful nan Wybourn area of nan city.

He started refereeing successful section shot successful 1979 earlier making history successful 1997 erstwhile he oversaw a top-flight lucifer betwixt Derby County and Wimbledon.

"Incredibly sad news astir nan passing of Uriah Rennie. A Black pioneering referee and leader successful nan game," said Leon Mann, co-founder of nan Football Black List.

"We beryllium truthful overmuch to those who push unfastened nan doors. Uriah should never, ever beryllium forgotten."

Rennie had been a magistrate successful Sheffield since 1996 and campaigned connected issues including improving equality and inclusion successful sport, intelligence wellness and tackling deprivation.

He had a master's grade successful business management and rule and, successful November 2023, was awarded an honorary doctorate by Sheffield Hallam University for his distinguished contributions to athletics and his activity pinch South Yorkshire communities.

In May, Rennie was installed arsenic nan caller chancellor of nan university.

Sheffield & Hallamshire County Football Association, external described their erstwhile chair arsenic a "trailblazing referee" who "broke down barriers, shaped our shot organization and inspired generations to come".

Once described arsenic nan "fittest" referee successful world shot by erstwhile Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) main Keith Hackett, Rennie had to wantonness his first top-flight crippled erstwhile nan floodlights grounded astatine Pride Park.

He was added to nan Fifa world database successful 2000, and nan PGMOL's Select Group of master referees nan pursuing year.

Speaking to BBC Sport successful 2023, erstwhile Arsenal and England guardant Ian Wright said: "I ever recovered that erstwhile I played pinch him [as nan referee] location was nary existent interaction.

"With immoderate of nan different referees, you could speak to them, person a small banter. And I deliberation that nan unit he astir apt would person been nether - to not person that benignant of relationship pinch nan different achromatic players - must person been really intense, simply because of what group mightiness say."

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Hackett said: "He had stature and beingness connected nan section of play and he was rather a man disconnected it. He was quiet but businesslike successful what he did.

"He was superbly fit. He had a achromatic loop successful 1 of nan martial arts and I often watched him sprint, make a decision, players looking astir him trying to person a spell astatine nan referee and he'd pat them connected nan enarthrosis and opportunity 'look I'm here, I've seen it' and he would get a smile.

"He was a terrific communicator but softly spoken, hardly ever mislaid his cool successful immoderate business and understood nan crippled really well."

But aft Rennie's status successful 2008, it took different 15 years for different achromatic referee to return complaint of a Premier League match, erstwhile Sam Allison was appointed to Sheffield United versus Luton Town successful December 2023.

Earlier that year, nan Football Association had laid retired plans to summation nan diverseness of lucifer officials crossed nan footballing pyramid and wants an summation of 1,000 women referees and 1,000 achromatic aliases Asian referees astatine each levels by 2023.

When that strategy was announced, only 3% of officials successful master shot were of achromatic aliases Asian ethnicity.

In a statement, nan English Football League (EFL) said Rennie was "a respected official, a groundbreaker, and a proud servant of nan game", while nan PGMOL's main refereeing serviceman Howard Webb said he was nan "epitome of a domiciled model".

"Uri was not only a trailblazer who paved nan measurement for galore others aft becoming nan first achromatic referee successful nan Premier League, he was a awesome personification and a awesome referee who cared profoundly astir his organization and helping group fulfil their potential," Webb said.

"He was a beardown power connected our refereeing group too, offering a calming beingness and we shared galore bully times together."

Former Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Aston Villa striker Stan Collymore said he was "incredibly sad" to perceive of Rennie's death, adding he was a "pioneer" and a "trailblazer".

Ex-Crystal Palace guardant Mark Bright posted connected X: "A trailblazer, a bully referee and thoroughly decent personification erstwhile ever I bumped into him disconnected nan pitch."

Speaking connected Talksport, erstwhile Premier League referee Chris Foy said: "He was a gentleman, a gentle giant. He was a friend to me, a mentor to me, he was conscionable a typical personification who put everybody first earlier himself.

"If it was difficult for him, he ne'er showed it because he was ever grounded. He loved refereeing."

Dermot Gallagher, different erstwhile top-flight referee, told Sky Sports: "As a personification he was humble, he was quiet, he was unassuming. But astir important he was kind."