Former FIFA and Premier League referee Uriah Rennie has died at the age of 65.
Uriah’s death was confirmed in a statement from the Football Association, FA, on Sunday.
It read: “the FA 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.
“Our thoughts are with Uriah’s family and friends at this time.”
Uriah was the Premier League’s first Black referee.
He officiated more than 300 top-flight games between 1997 and 2008, with his first fixture a clash between Derby and Wimbledon.
Rennie became a FIFA referee in 2000, from which he retired four years later at the compulsory age of 45.
His final Premier League refereeing assignment was on May 11, 2008, when he officiated a 2-0 victory for Liverpool over Tottenham.
No other Black referee officiated a top-flight match in England until Sam Allison was appointed to oversee Luton Town’s trip to Sheffield United on December 26, 2023.
Outside of football, Rennie was a magistrate in Sheffield since 1996 and was a campaigner on issues for improving equality and inclusion in sport, supporting mental health and tackling deprivation.
Born in Jamaica, Rennie moved to Sheffield as a child and grew up in the Wybourn area of the city.
His death comes weeks after he became Chancellor at Sheffield Hallam University, having spoken out about his battle with a rare condition that left him paralysed from the waist down.
