First black Premier League referee Uriah Rennie dies aged 65
8 June 2025, 23:59 | Updated: 9 June 2025, 07:16
The Premier League's first black referee has passed away months after learning to walk again after rare condition left him paralysed from the waist down.
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A statement released by the Sheffield Football Association on Sunday read: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former chair and trailblazing referee, Uriah Rennie."
"Uriah made history as the Premier League's first Black referee, officiating over 300 top-flight matches between 1997 and 2008."
"He broke down barriers, shaped our football community and inspired generations to come. Our thoughts are with Uriah's family and friends at this difficult time."
The referee began to suffer from a rare neurological condition while on holiday in Turkey last year.
He spent five months in hospital after being left paralysed from the waist down.
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"By the end of the holiday I couldn’t sleep a wink from the pain, and by the time I got home I could barely walk."
"I spent a month laid on my back and another four months sitting in bed."
"They kept me in hospital until February, they found a nodule pushing on my spine and it was a rare neurological condition so it’s not something they can operate on," Uriah told the BBC in April.
"I have had to learn to move all over again, I’m retraining my legs."
Rennie Uriah became the first black referee in the Premier League when he took charge of Derby County vs Wimbledon on August 13, 1997.
The iconic official refereed over 300 games between 1997 and 2008.
He has spoken frequently about his desire for increased diversity in football.
"We need to ensure words are matched by action so we see more people of different diversities in football. It shouldn’t be unusual to see a female referee or a black referee or someone with a disability," he told SportsMail in 2020.
The Football Association’s Refereeing Department posted a statement on X on Sunday evening, which read: "The F.A Refereeing Department is saddened to hear of the passing of former FIFA and Premier League referee, Uriah Rennie."
"Uriah will forever be remembered as a true trailblazer of the game."
