Trailblazing referee Uriah Rennie dies aged 65
Uriah Rennie, the first black Premier League referee, has died at the age of 65.
The Jamaica-born official grew up in Sheffield and oversaw more than 300 matches starting with his breakthrough appointment as Derby hosted Wimbledon in August 1997. The game was, however, abandoned to due floodlight failure.
Advertisement
The Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association posted on X: '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.'
Rennie became a FIFA-listed referee in 2000 and joined the select group of professionals one year later, with his retirement coming in 2008.
Advertisement
In November 2023 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Sheffield Hallam University for his distinguished contributions to sport and his work with South Yorkshire communities.
However he told BBC News in April how, while on holiday in Turkey last year, he felt severe pain in his back and doctors discovered he had an inoperable neurological condition that left him wheelchair-bound.
'I spent a month laid on my back and another four months sitting in bed,' he said.
'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.
Advertisement
'No one has told me I won't walk again, but even if someone did say that I want to be able to say I did everything I could to try.'
Former Liverpool and Nottingham Forest striker Stan Collymore posted on X: 'Incredibly sad to hear of the passing of referee Uriah Rennie. A pioneer, trailblazer and a bloody good ref. Rest in peace, ref.'
Rennie had been the honorary president of Sheffield side Hallam FC at the time of his death while both Sheffield United and Wednesday also paid tribute to the referee, saying the clubs' 'thoughts are with his friends and family at this time.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
29 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Michail Antonio set to quit West Ham after horror car crash despite being offered new contract amid ‘unique' situation
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MICHAIL ANTONIO is heading towards the exit door at West Ham despite being offered a new deal. The Hammers striker, 35, has not played since his horror crash in December, which required surgery on a broken leg. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Michail Antonio is set to leave West Ham this summer Credit: PA Antonio's current deal at the London Stadium expires on June 30 and the club announced today that terms on a new deal are yet to be agreed. The Jamaica international has been offered a short-term deal with a far lower base salary than his current £90,000-a-week contract. Significant bonuses are included for any appearances Antonio would make next season. However, West Ham's all-time top Premier League goalscorer is seeking a higher base salary offer and is holding out for offers from elsewhere. The club have done all they can to support his recovery, but will not be improving upon their offer and have indicated they would be pleased for Antonio should he secure better terms from another club. Spending money is tight at the London Stadium this summer and there is a focus on bringing the average age of Graham Potter's squad down. Antonio, who is confident he will be able to play again, had urged Potter to include him in a Premier League squad towards the end of the season but it was thought too big of a risk. The striker is now hoping to make his first appearance since the December car crash with Jamaica at this summer's Gold Cup, which starts next week. Impressive performances with Jamaica could spark interest from other clubs, which is limited at this stage. Antonio has already branched out to prepare for life after football, working with the BBC's Morning Live and as a pundit for TNT Sports during their coverage of the Conference League final. 'I almost wasn't there for my kids' – Michail Antonio 'happy' to have 'another chance at life' after horror car crash 4 Antonio shared some footage of his recovery on social media Credit: instagram/@michailantonio 4 The striker is pushing to make a return following his car crash Credit: instagram/@michailantonio Announcing their retained list, the Hammers said in a statement: "Given Michail Antonio's unique situation, following his serious road traffic accident in December 2024, there will be no formal decision and announcement on his future until such time that it is considered right and appropriate. "However, as his current contract is also due to expire on 30 June, for the purposes of the Premier League Retained List procedure at the end of the 2024/25 season, Michail will be listed as a free transfer. "As a long-serving, highly-respected player, and a much-loved member of the West Ham family, the club's absolute priority at this time is to support Michail personally in his journey to resume playing at the highest level." Former West Ham captain Kurt Zouma, who spent last season on loan at Saudi Pro League club Al-Orobah FC, will also formally depart with his contract ending this month. Danny Ings, Aaron Creswell, Vladimir Coufal and Lukasz Fabianski had already been confirmed as leaving at the end of their deals this summer.
Belfast Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Northern Ireland goalscorer inspired by trophy winning teammates: ‘I want to achieve like Conor and Justin'
Bradley claimed the Premier League with Liverpool in the season just finished and Devenny was an FA Cup winner with Crystal Palace. Such is the close knit relationships amongst Michael O'Neill's young squad there was genuine joy amongst the group seeing two of their own collecting major honours. Ahead of Tuesday night's friendly at home to Iceland, West Brom's Price revealed the success has clearly given Bradley and Devenny a lift. 'You can see it in both players,' said Price of his fellow 21-year-olds. 'You look at Conor, he's a fantastic player. The sky's the limit for him. I've played with him since I was 15, 16 and he's been the same the whole way through. 'For a player like me, looking at him, it's something that I aspire to do. 'I want to go and achieve the things that he's achieved and he's done so much already. 'I know I want to go and achieve more. The same with Justin. He's had a very successful season and got a lot of minutes for Palace. 'I think that's the hardest thing to do as a young player is to break into a first team, especially at a Premier League club. They've both done that very well.' Price has also performed well at club level initially starting out as a kid at Everton before moving to Standard Liege and returning to England in January to join the Baggies. He has been even more impressive for Northern Ireland scoring eight goals having only made his debut a couple of years ago. Price revels in meeting up with the squad pointing out that during challenging times in Belgium internationals came as a 'relief' to him to be with people who were friends as well as team-mates. While feeling ultimately that Standard Liege was a great learning experience he is happy to now be at West Brom. 'When I'm with Northern Ireland I feel settled straight away and with each game I keep feeling more confident,' he says. 'I feel like I'm going to get chances to score and it's just about putting them away.' If he scores against Iceland, Price will move to nine international goals moving alongside icons George Best, Billy Bingham, Norman Whiteside and Gareth McAuley on the scoring charts. I tell him that at Monday's press conference to which he responds: 'The names you've just said are legends, I don't think I'm anywhere near that, but obviously scoring goals is something that every player wants to do, it's one of the hardest things to do in football and if I got to score another goal and join them obviously it'd be an incredibly proud moment for me and my family. It would be unbelievable.' 'A lot of it's down to the manager (O'Neill) as well, he's put a lot of trust in me since the start. I've probably played a lot more games than I would if it was under another manager.' So why has O'Neill put so much faith in Price playing him in a roving attacking role? 'I remember going to watch Isaac play in I think a European Youth League game for Everton and I just liked what I saw,' says O'Neill. 'I thought we'll bring him into the group and see. The first game was a competitive game against San Marino and I think like anything players catch your eye and Isaac caught everyone's eye in training. We felt it was right to put him on the pitch and he hasn't let us down and I think that what you get is a very adaptable player, a clever player, but athletic as well. 'I look at Isaac on the same level as any of our young players that has all the attributes to play the game at the highest level and he's doing it the right way because I think for the player to make the choice that he made to go abroad at that point in his career says a lot. The easier thing would have been to sign a long-term deal with Everton, which he had the option to do and be that loan player that goes here and there every different season. 'He chose a more difficult route so that tells you about what he's like as a lad. I know it was difficult out there for him living in that situation, it was not easy but he didn't let it affect his football. 'I went to see him play out there and I think it's the whole package. He's still got a lot of development in him as well but it's nice when a player comes in and plays international football and feels comfortable in it so easily and that's what he's shown, so it's not a difficult decision. He doesn't give me any problems as yet, so we'll see!' O'Neill admitted he didn't know Price's best position. The player gave the same answer but he knows for sure how much he is relishing playing at Windsor Park again. 'The first game that I played here, it sort of felt like home straight away,' he says. 'I think the crowd make you feel that. Every game that I've played since, I just keep feeling better and better. Obviously, I've had nights where I've scored goals here and the crowd have been unbelievable. 'A lot of it is down to other players as well. A lot of my goals have come from great individual play from other players. I think as a team, we just really need to keep doing that. 'There's a lot of belief in the group. Especially when we're at home, it gives an extra boost. We spoke about possession after Saturday's game in Copenhagen (a 2-1 defeat to Denmark). With this game against Iceland there will be a different expectation, maybe one to take the initiative. We feel like we can go and score some goals and hopefully get a good result. 'At home you have a little bit of an extra advantage and when I've played here, it feels like we have a 12th man with the fans.'
Leader Live
37 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Spurs close in on Thomas Frank after making official approach to Brentford
Spurs sacked Ange Postecoglou on Friday, despite Europa League success, and quickly set their sights on Frank – who has gained admirers for his work over an impressive seven-year period at the west London club. After positive initial talks over the weekend, confidence started to grow on Monday morning that Frank would be the man to replace Postecoglou and Tottenham have now entered discussions with Brentford, PA understands. Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties. — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 6, 2025 Frank's current deal with the Bees runs until the summer of 2027 and contains a release clause reported to be in the region of £10million. Brentford are eager to hold out for Frank's release clause, but they have started talks with Spurs over a compensation package which would soften the blow of losing the highly-rated Dane. The 51-year-old would take over a Spurs side which won the Europa League last month but finished 17th in the Premier League. Poor domestic form during the 2024-25 season cost Postecoglou his job as the Spurs board was forced to make 'one of the toughest decisions' it has had to make in dismissing the head coach who ended a 17-year trophy drought. 'It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond,' a club statement on Friday read. PA understands Tottenham have also relieved coaches Mile Jedinak, Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo of their duties. A post shared by West Bromwich Albion (@wba) Ryan Mason left his role as Spurs first-team coach last week to take over as West Brom boss, which opens the door for Frank to bring in some of his own staff – with current Brentford assistant Claus Norgaard a long-term ally. PA understands another departure from Spurs this summer will be Scott Munn, who was made chief football officer at the club in 2023. Tottenham technical director Johan Lange has remained in post and is set to renew allegiances with compatriot Frank. Frank and Lange worked together at Danish club Lyngby before they both made their marks in the Premier League. Lange attempted to bring Frank to Aston Villa in 2022 when he worked at the midlands outfit. Former Brondby boss Frank has developed a strong reputation in English football since he took over Brentford, with his tactical nous and man-management skills often lauded by rival managers and pundits. After Frank guided Brentford to promotion in 2021, he quickly enabled them to compete strongly in the Premier League despite a modest budget and has been linked to a number of high-profile vacancies in recent years.
