logo
Trailblazing referee Uriah Rennie dies aged 65

Trailblazing referee Uriah Rennie dies aged 65

Irish Examiner2 days ago

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 top-flight matches starting with his breakthrough appointment as Derby hosted Wimbledon in August 1997.
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.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nathan Collins tries to take positives from poor Luxembourg performance
Nathan Collins tries to take positives from poor Luxembourg performance

Irish Daily Mirror

time4 hours ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Nathan Collins tries to take positives from poor Luxembourg performance

Nathan Collins knows Ireland's performance in Luxembourg wasn't good enough but the skipper is still drawing on the Boys in Green laboured to a 0-0 draw and nearly won it at the death when Jack Taylor smashed a shot off the despite a frustrating night, Ireland are still unbeaten in their four games this year going into the World Cup campaign in ace Collins said: 'A lot of things weren't right. Before the game we didn't want it to be that last game, end of season friendly feel to it.'We didn't want to be that passive and wanted to get after them more but we weren't at that.'But considering we're nowhere near our best, we still dug out a clean sheet. But we all know that was nowhere near our best, and we have so much more to give.'Collins continued: 'We're lucky that the result still carries momentum. The way we played we could have lost that.'We didn't deserve to win but to sit in and defend the way we did, we didn't deserve to lose.'Credit to Max O'Leary, he's been in the camp a long time and not got his caps but made two great saves.'Doc (Matt Doherty) got a tackle in and Knighty was class in front of us. We weren't at our best but we defended well, dug in and had our chances'And when we come back in September we will build on that. We have great momentum and we haven't lost in a few games.'We know there are more things to work on and get better at. Going unbeaten in four into a qualifier, I've never experienced that before so it's good.'Collins played every minute of the Premier League season for Brentford and has been a mainstay for Ireland of the players are heading straight on their holidays from Luxembourg, so Collins feels there are reasons for the flat performance.'It's been a long season,' he said. 'I've been trying to push myself to the limit. I'm physically tired, but I'm more mentally tired. I doubt I'm the only one in that boat.'We've pushed ourselves to the max this season. Away to Luxembourg, it's not an easy game.'They played a really good game, they were very good, they pressed high and that probably hurt us as well.'I know the passiveness was there but we still made them force things, we still defended in a nice solid way and made them go around us.'And Collins also believes that some fringe players have put their hands up for selection against Hungary in September after capitalising on the absence of others.'I think that's the whole point of this, you want players to come in, you want players under pressure for the next person,' he added.'You want to have that feeling, that the people behind you are pushing for your spot, it's a great thing.'

Babis Kostoulas, 18, is incoming Premier League star compared to Gabriel Batistuta and was eyed by Arsenal and Man Utd
Babis Kostoulas, 18, is incoming Premier League star compared to Gabriel Batistuta and was eyed by Arsenal and Man Utd

The Irish Sun

time5 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Babis Kostoulas, 18, is incoming Premier League star compared to Gabriel Batistuta and was eyed by Arsenal and Man Utd

GREEK wonderkid Charalampos Kostoulas is set to complete a record-breaking move to the Premier League after just one season at senior level. And absolutely no one in Greece is shocked by this development, which Advertisement 3 Olympiacos wonderkid Babis Kostoulas is joining Brighton 3 Kostoulas is moving to Brighton after a record-breaking deal 3 Brighton have signed a very promising prospect in Kostoulas SunSport understand The teenage sensation will undergo a medical before putting pen to paper on a lucrative deal that may run for four years, with the option to extend for a further one, worth £1.3m per season, plus bonuses. That makes Babis - which is short for his forename - the most expensive Greek signing of all time as he overtakes Kostas Manolas' £30m move from Roma to Napoli in 2019. The Greece Under-21 international started making noise in the country almost two years ago while rising through the ranks at Olympiacos. Advertisement Read More on Football The forward - who can cover both wings, play behind the striker and spearhead the attack himself - showed immense killer instinct, surprising speed and fantastic technique from the age of 16. Babis quickly earned comparisons to Argentina legend Gabriel Batistuta and was thus nicknamed "Babistuta" by everyone who got to witness his talent. The versatile striker lived up to the hype last season with Olympiacos' Under-19s as he led them to Uefa Youth League glory with five goals and two assists in nine matches. Kostoulas and co made history as they became the first ever Greek team to win a European trophy, shortly before Olympiacos' seniors Advertisement Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS The wonderkid's impressive introduction comes as no surprise as he was mentored from his father who knew everything about winning silverware and competing in the Champions League with the Greek giants. Thanassis Kostoulas joined the Piraeus outfit in 1999 and spent eight glittering years that saw him winning seven league titles and two Greek Cups. I can win the Ballon D'or says Brighton's Carlos Baleba The former centre-back amassed a total of 202 appearances, 15 of which were in the Champions League against the likes of Advertisement And Thanassis saw his son following his footsteps this season as he was quickly established as a key member of manager Jose Luis Mendilibar's first team. Babis broke his goalscoring duck in November during the derby against PAOK in the fiery and intimidating ground of Toumba Stadium. That night he became Olympiacos' youngest ever league goalscorer at the age of 17 years, five months and 11 days. A series of impressive performances in the Europa League soon followed and he played a critical role in Olympiacos' journey to the Last 16, which saw them finishing in the top eight of the league phase. Advertisement Many believe Mendilibar's side would have made it farther if their wonderkid was never injured. Attracting Premier League interest Kostoulas went on to cut a prolific figure in Greece and helped his team win the Double in their 100-year anniversary with seven goals and two assists in 35 appearances before picking up a muscle injury at the end of the season. The Prem giants faced competition from other elite outfits, such as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and AC Milan. Advertisement But it was the Seagulls who won the race for a player who started the season with a release clause worth a mere £423,000 on Transfermarkt. Sources suggest Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler made Kostoulas his top "personal choice" as the club continues to poach the world's brightest prospects following the likes of Yves Bissouma, Moises Caicedo and Kaoru Mitoma. This comes shortly after the Seasiders also landed Babis' 19-year-old compatriot Stefanos Tzimas from Nurnberg following a £20.8m deal. Olympiacos could have made more Olympiacos could have waited longer to sell their brightest wonderkid in eight years, but opted on going down the same route they took with their last gem. Advertisement Panos Retsos burst onto the scene in the 2016-17 campaign immediately after getting called up from the youth ranks, just like Kostoulas. Retsos impressed so much that he was handed the armband at the age of 18, making him the club's youngest ever captain. And Olympiacos decided to strike while the iron was hot to sell the centre-back to Bayer Leverkusen for a then record £14.8m. Evangelos Marinakis' club could have got an even higher price than the money they're receiving from Brighton. Advertisement Kostoulas would have played in the Champions League and probably even the World Cup with Greece, where he has yet to receive his first senior call-up, if he had stayed put. Hefty sell-on clause The Greek champions run the risk of jumping the gun but played it smart by adding a sell-on clause worth up to 12 per cent. And that could prove to be a genius move as the attacker has the qualifications to emulate other Brighton prospects that went from total anonymity to global superstardom and astronomical transfers. His football skills speak for themselves, but what many don't know about is his personality. Advertisement Kostoulas inspires tremendous confidence that he perfectly combines with humility. And it shows in his interviews with a posture and eloquence we rarely see from footballers, especially youngsters - nothing like Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer. Olympiacos never really got to enjoy Kostoulas, but even just one year proved enough for every single fan to understand his true impact - just like Yaya Toure who left a year after his arrival in 2005 and went on to make history. Brighton have hit the jackpot in terms of discovering another rare gem, but they will have to show their usual patience and support to get the most out of this kid. Advertisement Because this is a player that has been going from strength to strength without much sign of slowing down since his academy days that convinced everyone a move to an elite club was simply imminent.

Manchester City sign €36m French star as rebuild continues
Manchester City sign €36m French star as rebuild continues

The 42

time5 hours ago

  • The 42

Manchester City sign €36m French star as rebuild continues

MANCHESTER CITY HAVE completed the signing of France midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon for an initial fee of €36 million (£30.5m). The 21-year-old moves after an impressive season with Lyon in which he scored 12 goals and provided 20 assists in 40 appearances. He also made an eye-catching debut for France last week when he came off the bench and scored in a 5-4 Nations League loss to Spain. Cherki has put pen to paper on a five-year deal which will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until 2030. We're delighted to announce the signing of Rayan Cherki ✍️🩵 — Manchester City (@ManCity) June 10, 2025 He said: 'This is a dream for me. Honestly, to be joining a club like Manchester City and have the opportunity to make the next step in my career here is something very, very special. Advertisement 'I have worked so hard for this all my life. I love this sport, and I can't wait to develop further here in Manchester with Pep (Guardiola) and his backroom staff. 'Everyone knows how good City are – they have been so successful for many years now. The responsibility to help the team continue winning is something I want to embrace. 'I would only leave Lyon for a project I really believe in and everything at City suggests I can develop my game and help the team be successful in the future. I can't wait to show City fans what I can do.' His arrival comes on the same day City completed a deal for Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli and follows the €37m (£31.3m) capture of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves on Monday. All three deals have been completed in time for the players to be registered for the group stages of the Club World Cup this month. Director of football Hugo Viana said: 'We're very happy to have Rayan at City. We want to bring top talent to the club, and he falls into that category. Pepijn Lijnders. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'He's a player our scouts have watched for a long time, and we have all been impressed with his skill and creativity. I am convinced our fans will be excited to see him play. 'There's no doubt that he's now in the best place possible to develop further under Pep's guidance and I really believe he can become a world-class player with our support and direction.' City's latest transfer activity continues an overhaul of the squad that began with the January signings of Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis. Further deals are also possible as the club respond to a disappointing season in which they failed to mount a strong Premier League title defence and exited the Champions League before the last 16. Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has been heavily linked with a move to City from AC Milan as Guardiola looks to bolster his midfield options following this summer's departure of Kevin De Bruyne. In further business, City have installed former Liverpool assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders as Guardiola's new number two. The Dutchman, who served under Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, was available after being sacked as manager at Red Bull Salzburg last December. His appointment coincides with that of James French as set-piece coach. French has been working at Liverpool for the past 13 years.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store