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Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Uriah Rennie dead: Premier League's first black referee passes away aged 65 after rare condition left him paralysed
Rennie was once described as the 'fittest' referee in England's top division REF TRAGEDY Uriah Rennie dead: Premier League's first black referee passes away aged 65 after rare condition left him paralysed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PREMIER League referee Uriah Rennie has tragically passed away aged 65. Legend Rennie had recently opened up about a rare condition that left him paralysed from the waist down. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Rennie had been diagnosed with a rare neurological condition 2 Rennie has died aged 65 Credit: Getty 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. read more sport POINT OF REF David Coote's new life as Evri delivery driver is admirable act of humility "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." More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
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. Legend Rennie had Advertisement 4 Rennie had been diagnosed with a rare neurological condition 4 Rennie has died aged 65 Credit: Getty 4 Kieran Richardson (L) and Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United protest to referee Uriah Rennie in 2006 Credit: Getty 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 "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. Advertisement read more sport "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. Advertisement Most read in Football Breaking "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 and . 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." Advertisement 4 Rennie signals during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool in 2003 Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Staggering monthly fee Prem aces pay for luxury online butler service offering private jets, hotels & shopping revealed
PREMIER League stars are signing up to a luxury £1,700-a-month online butler service offering private jets, hotels and shopping. The app promises 'exclusive lifestyle management for football elites' including help with travel plans, fashion and VIP event tickets. 2 Premier League stars including Joshua Zirkzee are signing up to a luxury £1,700-a-month online butler service Credit: Getty 2 The service offers private jets, hotels, more Stars who have downloaded concierge service Amslux include The Amsterdam firm was founded six years ago by pals Emmanuel Ntow, Ward Struwer and Mitchell Spel. Their most expensive one-off purchase was for a star of Germany's Bundesliga who asked them to source a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 watch worth £105,000. read more on football Other requests include handbags worth £20,000 and £10,000 designer trainers. But one anonymous player's partying ended up in a brush with the law. Emmanuel told The Sun: 'A player asked us urgently through Instagram if we could help him with a very difficult last minute request. 'He needed a private jet for the next day to Ibiza as all flights were cancelled. Most read in Football 'We used all our power to get this done and he was very happy. "A week later when he arrived back from his holiday he asked us to fly two girls in from Ibiza. John Obi Mikel on wild Chelsea nights out in central London and his hilarious friendship with Salomon Kalou 'Everything was taken care of but after they landed we were called with a very strange conversation. 'He said the girls were not allowed to enter the country because they were being sought by Interpol.' But he said most requests were more straightforward to deal with. Emmanuel said: 'We offer personalised travel — whether that's a secluded private villa, a luxury yacht charter, or a five-star resort.' Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Staggering monthly fee Prem aces pay for luxury online butler service offering private jets, hotels & shopping revealed
But one player ended up having a brush with the law PREMIER League stars are signing up to a luxury £1,700-a-month online butler service offering private jets, hotels and shopping. The app promises 'exclusive lifestyle management for football elites' including help with travel plans, fashion and VIP event tickets. Advertisement 2 Premier League stars including Joshua Zirkzee are signing up to a luxury £1,700-a-month online butler service Credit: Getty 2 The service offers private jets, hotels, more Stars who have downloaded concierge service Amslux include Liverpool's Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch. Man United striker Joshua Zirkzee, new Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and the ex-Bayern Munich ace Thomas Muller have also joined. The Amsterdam firm was founded six years ago by pals Emmanuel Ntow, Ward Struwer and Mitchell Spel. Their most expensive one-off purchase was for a star of Germany's Bundesliga who asked them to source a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 watch worth £105,000. Advertisement read more on football ACE BANNED Former Man Utd and Chelsea star Matic banned after taping over LGBTQ+ logo Other requests include handbags worth £20,000 and £10,000 designer trainers. But one anonymous player's partying ended up in a brush with the law. Emmanuel told The Sun: 'A player asked us urgently through Instagram if we could help him with a very difficult last minute request. 'He needed a private jet for the next day to Ibiza as all flights were cancelled. Advertisement 'We used all our power to get this done and he was very happy. "A week later when he arrived back from his holiday he asked us to fly two girls in from Ibiza. John Obi Mikel on wild Chelsea nights out in central London and his hilarious friendship with Salomon Kalou 'Everything was taken care of but after they landed we were called with a very strange conversation. 'He said the girls were not allowed to enter the country because they were being sought by Interpol.' Advertisement But he said most requests were more straightforward to deal with. Emmanuel said: 'We offer personalised travel — whether that's a secluded private villa, a luxury yacht charter, or a five-star resort.' Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
The Irish Sun
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Premier League wage bill hits record £4bn – with hapless Man Utd's bloated budget revealed…where does your club rank?
PREMIER League wages hit a record £4billion last season, a new study has discovered. It means the 500 stars who make up Britain's top league pocketed an average of £8million a year during 2023/24. 3 Erling Haaland is city's top earner after negotiating a deal worth £500,000 a week in January Credit: Getty 3 Mo Salah has pledged his future to Liverpool in a new deal Credit: Getty And The figures have been collated by football blogger Kieron O'Connor, who runs The Swiss Ramble football finance blog. He says striker Liverpool came runners-up in the pay stakes, with the Anfield squad taking home £377million. Read More on Sport Mo Salah is the club's top earner and recently banked a pay rise after committing his future to Anfield, taking him to £400,000 a week. All Premier League clubs have revealed their accounts from the 2023/24 season, with the figures showing the post-Covid pay bubble continues to climb. The clubs' combined wage bill has jumped from £2.9billion in just six years, the equivalent of 38 per cent. The wage bills also show the Big Six became the Big Five, with a huge gap opening up between the highest-paying sides. Most read in Football Kieron reveals City and Arsenal wages 2024-25 revealed This year's FA Cup winners Man Utd underachieved, finishing eighth, despite having the third- largest wage bill. The three clubs with the lowest wage bills were relegated last season — Luton's wage bill was the lowest in the league, paying out £57million to its squad. The figures were released before today's final round of games, with 3 'A bit crazy' While Haaland himself admitted his salary was 'a bit crazy' when his new ten-year deal was announced in January, wages of the best Prem stars are well below that of other sporting stars around the globe. A study by Forbes magazine put Haaland 27th on the list of top earners when comparing him with greats such as And his money pales into insignificance when compared to NFL's Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who signed a £410million deal in 2021. And last December the New York Mets baseball team agreed to pay slugger Juan Soto £628million for a 15-year deal. Clubs must remain vigilant as there is still much work to be done to restore pre-pandemic profitability Aleksander Ceferin Haaland's outgoing teammate Kevin De Bruyne has previously told how he believes top footballers are underpaid, despite earning £400,000 a week. When asked in 2022 if he got paid too much, the Belgian linked with a move to Serie A winners 'There are millions of people watching the football on TV, there's 60,000 watching the games, the income of a club is £500million to £600million. Yeah, it's a lot of money, but is it too much? 'If the club can afford it, it's not too much.' In March, figures revealed player wages across Europe had reached £15.1billion in 2023/24, up by 6.5 per cent on the previous year. Following the release of the latest Uefa Club Licensing Benchmarking Report, the governing body's president Aleksander Ceferin warned teams about paying excessive amounts to their players. 'Players are the stars' He said: 'While most clubs appear to be managing player wage increases responsibly, other costs are rising rapidly, putting greater pressure on operating margins than ever before. Clubs must remain vigilant as there is still much work to be done to restore pre-pandemic profitability.' Premier League clubs have to pay within Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) each year or face punishment. Everton and Nottingham Forest faced points deductions for breaching the rules. In February, it was reported the Clubs voted last year to explore the introduction of a spending cap from the start of the 2025/26 season as part of a new system of financial controls. It will limit clubs to spending 85 per cent of their total revenue on wages, transfer payments and agent fees. Sponsorship consultant Nigel Currie said: 'The players are the stars, they are the talent and the reason millions tune in every week and buy the kits. 'The Premier League is hugely successful, the wealthiest football league in the world, and that will continue. 'There will continue to be massive financial implications for players. Sponsorships will go through the roof in terms of value.' SAUDIS UP SALARIES DESPITE earning a fortune, the salaries of Premier League stars are nowhere near what is on offer in the Saudi Pro League. Here is what the big names earn each week at their clubs there. Cristiano Ronaldo,£3.2million, Al-Nassr Karim Benzema, £1.6million, Al-Ittihad Riyad Mahrez, £850,000, Al-Ahli Sadio Mane, £650,000, Al-Nassr Ivan Toney, £490,000, Al-Ahli N'Golo Kante, £400,000, Al-Ittihad
