Uriah Rennie: Meet the first black man to handle a Premier League match as centre referee

The English Premier League, since its rebranding in 1992 has had only one mixed-race centre official in its 31-year history.

Retired referee Uriah Rennie, is the only person of black or Asian origin to have officiated as a center referee in the Premier League.

Rennie was a perfect definition of a fit referee who went around his work with so much energy and discipline.

Keith Hackett, former head of the Professional Game match officials board in England once described Renie as "the fittest referee we have ever seen on the national and World scene."

Uriah Rennie began his refereeing journey in 1979 and got appointed to the football league's list in 1997. The same year he handled his first English top-flight game.

He made his refereeing debut in August 1997 at Elland Road when Leeds United hosted Crystal Palace. He became a FIFA referee in 2000 and was listed until 2004 when he retired.

Rennie, in 11 seasons officiated a total of 345 official games from 1997 to 2008. He awarded a total of 984 yellow cards and dished out 70 red cards within the period.

Uriah Rennie officiated his last game at White Hart Lane when Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on May 11, 2008.

Aside from football, he is married with a daughter and son. He also holds a Master's degree in business administration and law.

He continues to serve as an inspiration to other Black, Asian, or mixed race who aim at the pinnacle of refereeing in England.

Joel Mannix, the chairman of the Black, Asian, and Mixed Ethnicity Referee Support Group (BAMREF) has opined that it is unlikely to see a black officiate in the PL because it is a challenge.

“My belief is there won’t be another black referee in the Premier League. “That’s the challenge, but why is it a challenge?”

According to Athletic, only four out of 200 referees in the top seven divisions are black or Asian, which includes Sam Allison, Aji Ajibola, Joel Mannix, and Sunny Singh Gill.