Uriah Rennie dead: Premier League's first black referee passes away aged 65 after rare condition left him paralysed
Legend Rennie had
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Rennie had been diagnosed with a rare neurological condition
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Rennie has died aged 65
Credit: Getty
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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.
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"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.
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"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."
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Rennie signals during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool in 2003
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