Sam Allison became the first black referee to officiate in the Premier League for 15 years when he took charge of Sheffield United vs Luton Town on Boxing Day.- marking the first time a Black man officiated a match in England’s top division since Uriah Rennie in 2008.
The game ended in a 3-2 win for Luton and attention was on the former firefighter for Sheffield United’s second goal which needed a VAR check, with Allison awarding the goal without controversy.
Before the match, BAMRef, which guide, support, mentor and counsel Black, Asian and mixed heritage referees, said: “It is a further step in the right direction towards refereeing reflecting society and the playing contingent within football.
“It is also the culmination of years of hard work by BAMRef members. We hope to work with Howard Webb (Professional Game Match Officials Board chief) to identify and progress more black officials to the top flight.”
Dan Forbes, a level four official in the referee pathway who work for BAMRef, said: “It’s been a long time coming for him and it’s been a long-time ambition as well. He totally understands the pressures.
“Sam absolutely deserves to be there, he’s one of the top referees in the country and there’s no doubt Sam will deliver and fly our flag.
“We’ve also got some other top referees coming through – Lisa Rashid, Ruben Ricardo, Aji Ajibola – that deserve the opportunity.
“This is just the starting point. This is not the end. It’s huge, it’s also well overdue. The impact will be huge. If you can’t see it, it’s a lot harder to be it.”
