Author: Mandeep Sanghera

Getty ImagesMandeep SangheraBBC Sport journalist8 June 2025Updated 55 minutes agoUriah Rennie, the Premier League’s first black referee, has died aged 65.Rennie officiated more than 300 games between 1997 and 2008, including 175 Premier League matches.Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said Rennie was “a trailblazer in every sense”, adding: “He will always be a Premier League legend by becoming its first black referee, providing leadership, talent and visibility that proved inspirational to many.”Uriah played a massive role in shaping the game as we know it today. Football should always be grateful to him.”The Premier League said: “Uriah was a pioneering trailblazer whose legacy will live on, continuing to inspire future generations.”Rennie recently revealed he was learning to walk again after a rare condition left him paralysed from the waist down.Born in Jamaica, he moved to Sheffield as a child and grew up in the Wybourn area of the city.He started refereeing in local football in 1979 before making history in 1997 when he oversaw a top-flight match between Derby County and Wimbledon.”Incredibly sad news about the passing of Uriah Rennie. A Black pioneering referee and leader in the game,” said Leon Mann, co-founder of the Football Black List.”We owe so much to those who push open the doors. Uriah should never, ever be forgotten.”Rennie had been a magistrate in Sheffield since 1996 and campaigned on issues including improving equality and inclusion in sport, mental health and tackling deprivation.He had a master’s degree in business administration and law and, in November 2023, was awarded an honorary doctorate by Sheffield Hallam University for his distinguished contributions to sport and his work with South Yorkshire communities.In May, Rennie was installed as the new chancellor of the university.Sheffield & Hallamshire County Football Association described their former chair as a “trailblazing referee” who “broke down barriers, shaped our football community and inspired generations to come.” How Rennie impacted refereeingOnce described as the “fittest” referee in world football by former Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Keith Hackett, Rennie had to abandon his first top-flight game when the floodlights failed at Pride Park.He was added to the Fifa international list in 2000, and the PGMOL’s Select Group of professional referees the following year.Speaking to BBC Sport in 2023, former Arsenal and England forward Ian Wright said: “I always found that when I played with him [as the referee] there was no real interaction.”With some of the other referees, you could speak to them, have a little banter. And I think that the pressure he probably would have been under – to not have that kind of interaction with the other black players – must have been really intense, simply because of what people might say.”Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Hackett said: “He had stature and presence on the field of play and he was quite a gentleman off it. He was quiet but efficient in what he did. “He was superbly fit. He had a black belt in one of the martial arts and I often watched him sprint, make a decision, players looking around him trying to have a go at the referee and he’d tap them on the shoulder and say ‘look I’m here, I’ve seen it’ and he would get a smile.”He was a terrific communicator but quietly spoken, hardly ever lost his cool in any situation and understood the game really well.”But after Rennie’s retirement in 2008, it took another 15 years for another black referee to take charge of a Premier League match, when Sam Allison was appointed to Sheffield United versus Luton Town in December 2023.Earlier that year, the Football Association had laid out plans to increase the diversity of match officials across the footballing pyramid and wants an increase of 1,000 women referees and 1,000 black or Asian referees at all levels by 2023.When that strategy was announced, only 3% of officials in professional football were of black or Asian ethnicity. ‘He loved refereeing’ – football world pays tributeIn a statement, the English Football League (EFL) said Rennie was “a respected official, a groundbreaker, and a proud servant of the game”, while the PGMOL said he “had a significant impact on the game and his legacy will live on”.Former Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Aston Villa striker Stan Collymore said he was “incredibly sad” to hear of Rennie’s death, adding he was a “pioneer” and a “trailblazer”.Ex-Crystal Palace forward Mark Bright posted on X: “A trailblazer, a good referee and thoroughly decent person when ever I bumped into him off the pitch.”Speaking on Talksport, former Premier League referee Chris Foy said: “He was a gentleman, a gentle giant. He was a friend to me, a mentor to me, he was just a special person who put everybody first before himself.”If it was difficult for him, he never showed it because he was always grounded. He loved refereeing.”Dermot Gallagher, another former top-flight referee, told Sky Sports: “As a person he was humble, he was quiet, he was unassuming. But most important he was kind.”Related topicsPremier LeagueFootball

Getty ImagesMandeep SangheraBBC Sport journalist8 June 2025Poland’s record goalscorer Robert Lewandowski says he will not play for his country while Michal Probierz is manager after being replaced as captain.The 36-year-old striker has 85 goals in 158 appearances for his country but is not part of his national team’s squad during the current international window.A statement from the Polish FA on Sunday said Probierz had “personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the training staff of his decision” to appoint Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zielinski as the new captain.Following this decision, Barcelona’s Lewandowski wrote on social media: “Taking into account the circumstances and a loss of trust in the coach, I have decided to resign from playing for the Poland national team for as long as he remains in charge.”I hope I will still have another chance to play again for the best fans in the world.”The Poland FA also said Probierz will answer questions at a news conference on Monday prior to Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Finland, and will be joined by Zielinski, 31.Probierz, 52, took over as coach in September 2023 but his side finished bottom of their group at Euro 2024 as they became the first country to be knocked out of the tournament.However, Poland are top of their World Cup 2026 qualifying group after two wins from as many games, with Netherlands third on three points after one game.Related topicsPolandBarcelonaEuropean FootballFootball

Getty ImagesMandeep SangheraBBC Sport journalist8 June 2025421 CommentsLiverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has said he does not want to be “wasting years” in his career and this summer will weigh up whether to stay at the club.The 22-year-old, who is part of the England squad for the European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia this summer, was limited to 18 Premier League appearances for Liverpool last season, 16 of them as a substitute.His only two starts came in defeats at Chelsea and Brighton after the Reds had already secured the Premier League title in manager Arne Slot’s first season in charge.Overall, Elliott played 28 games in all competitions, which included six starts as he totalled five goals and three assists in 822 minutes of action. In comparison, he made 53 appearances, including 27 starts, in the 2023-24 campaign when he scored four goals and provided 11 assists. “It’s just a situation that me and the team have to have a conversation about because I’m coming into an age now where I’m 22, I’m going to be 23 next season,” said Elliott when asked if he is considering leaving Liverpool.”I don’t really want to be wasting years on my career because it’s a short career. You don’t know what’s going to happen.”I need to reflect. I need to see if I’m content in doing what I’m doing and how can I improve as a player because that’s the most important thing.”I just want to improve and be the best possible version of myself. If that’s to go somewhere else, then it’s a decision that I’m going to have to make and I just need to see what happens.”Nothing makes me want to leave. I love the club, I love the fans, the team. I support them as well. But most importantly, it’s just about what’s best for my career.”Liverpool are trying to sign attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen this summer which could further limit Elliott’s chances of first-team football.Elliott, who was sidelined for about three months when he suffered a broken foot in September, added: “After my injury, I think it was always going to be hard, but I’d hoped I would have got some more opportunities – but football is football.”Elliott, who joined Liverpool as a 17-year-old from Fulham in July 2019, returned from injury in December.He hoped scoring a late winner in the first leg of a last-16 Champions League tie at Paris St-Germain in March would be a turning point for him, but it proved not to be the case.Elliott was a half-time substitute against Southampton in Liverpool’s next game before the second leg of the tie against PSG, which the Reds lost on penalties.”I thought PSG [first leg] was kind of a high for me, especially with the Premier League game coming up a few days later,” said Elliott.”I thought it was an opportunity for me to get a start and showcase what I can do and just get a nice run out, but the boss is the boss.”He’s the man in charge. He’s the reason why we’ve won the league, because of his decisions. His decisions were not to start me – I can’t complain.”Related topicsLiverpoolPremier LeagueFootball

Getty ImagesMandeep SangheraBBC Sport journalist8 June 2025769 CommentsEngland captain Harry Kane says his side “got away with it” in their 1-0 win against Andorra in a performance that “wasn’t good enough”.In a disappointing display against a team ranked 173rd in the world, England won courtesy of a solitary Kane goal after 50 minutes in Barcelona.England were booed by some of their fans at half-time and full-time, while manager Thomas Tuchel said his side “lacked the seriousness and the urgency that is needed in a World Cup qualifier”.”It wasn’t our greatest performance,” said Kane, whose goal took his tally to 72 for England. “I don’t think it’s one many people are going to remember, that’s for sure, but it’s three points in the bag.”But, yeah, for sure we know we can play better in all aspects, both with and without the ball.”It’s down to us now to analyse it, look back and try and learn from it because condition-wise it’s going to be very similar to next summer – dry pitch, warm weather, humid.”He added: “It [the goal] was probably our best move and we just didn’t have enough of that, both with probably the runs and also the quality – a lot of balls kind of overhit, out of play, and it just kind of killed our momentum, especially there in the second half.”The 2026 World Cup will be held across Canada, Mexico and the United States.England beat Latvia and Albania in their first two World Cup qualifiers in March before the win against Andorra.They are top of Group K, with Albania second on four points, Latvia third with three points after two games, Serbia fourth with one point from one game and Andorra bottom.Kane added: “We were just lacking quality [against Andorra], looked a bit fatigued both physically and mentally and, yeah, we got away with it because we’re a good team and they had a couple of half-chances where we didn’t get punished. But ultimately, it wasn’t good enough.”England’s next game is a friendly against Senegal at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground on Tuesday (19:45 BST).Related topicsFootballEngland Men’s Football Team