From Trailblazer to Outlier: Uriah Rennie & The Wait for Another Black PL Referee

The Athletic FC Podcast

The Athletic

Football, Soccer,, Sports, Soccer

4 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 1 November 2022

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Host Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Carl Anka to explore why 14 years on from Uriah Rennie's last Premier League game, he remains the only black referee in Premier League history... What are the major obstacles that continue to prevent aspiring male and female officials - from marginalised or ethnic communities - from reaching the Premier League? The cost, the abuse, and how much progress has been made in recent years - following a 2021 FA initiative to combat the problem head on. We'll hear from Ashley Hickson-Lovence, a former semi-professional referee and author of Your Show, written in collaboration with Rennie, as well as, Russell Hoyte, who helps semi-professional referees navigate their way through the ranks. Produced by Adonis Pratsides Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Athletic.
0:04.0	In 2008, Uriah Rene took charge of Liverpool's tuna win over Tottenham in the Premier League,
0:10.7	a match described at the time as a lackluster affair, but it's turned
0:16.2	out to be a pretty historic fixture because that was the last time a black referee
0:22.2	officiated in England's top league.
0:25.0	So a trailblazer who instead became an outlier.
0:30.0	Fourteen years on and the athletics Carl Anka has been exploring how much progress has been made.
0:36.5	I'm Mark Chapman. Welcome to the Athletic Football Podcast. I have 22 hand checks at the end of the game but the observer would have an issue with something.
0:50.0	You've got to see it in order to know you can achieve it.
0:52.0	Observers would comment on my hair.
0:54.3	I had an earring that I would always take out before the game,
0:56.6	but they would comment on my earring.
0:58.1	It sounded very much like a glass basement
1:00.1	where the smaller number of people that did feel encouraged and were aware of the opportunities available in referee
1:06.4	there was a definite limit to how high they could go. The comment which I've heard relating to myself,
1:12.7	into my colour, have actually come from people of colour themselves.
1:16.7	Being the man in black, it invites one form of abuse.
1:19.2	Being the black man in black in the middle,
1:21.5	does that invite another layer of abuse.
1:28.0	Over the course of the podcast we'll also hear from Ashley Hicks and Lovence, a former semi-professional referee and author of your show written in collaboration with Rennie.
1:38.0	And we'll also hear from Russell Hoyt who helped semi-professional referees trying to rise through the ranks.
1:46.0	The stat, Carl, before we come on to the current situation, but the stat about your
	...

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