15 hours ago
Uriah Rennie dead: Premier League's first black referee passes away aged 65 after rare condition left him paralysed
PREMIER League referee Uriah Rennie has tragically passed away aged 65.
Rennie had recently opened up about a rare condition that left him paralysed from the waist down.
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Once described as the "fittest" referee in England's top division, Rennie refereed over 300 top flight matches between 1997 and 2008.
But after experiencing intense back pain while on holiday in Turkey last year, Rennie was admitted to Northern General Hospital in October.
He told the BBC: "I thought I had just slept funny on a sun lounger, I was hoping to go paragliding but because of my backache I couldn't go.
"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.
"I have had to learn to move all over again, I'm retraining my legs."
He continued: "It was strange - I went from running around the city to in essence being in traction for such a long time.
"I didn't have any previous back problems but quite suddenly I wasn't able to move and was in a spinal unit."
Rennie made history in 1997 when he became the Premier League 's first black referee, officiating a match between Derby County and Wimbledon.
An FA statement 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."
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