Uriah Rennie, the first Black referee in the Premier League, has died. He was 65. The Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association posted Sunday on X that “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former chair and trailblazing referee,

Uriah Rennie, the first black Premier League referee, has died at the age of 65 with the football world paying tribute to a “pioneer” and “trailblazer” of the game.The Jamaica-born official grew up in Sheffield and oversaw more than 300 top-flight matches starting with his breakthrough appointment as Derby hosted Wimbledon in August 1997.

Uriah Rennie, the Premier League’s first black referee, has been described as a “special person who put everyone before himself” following his death at the age of 65.