The Premier League's first black referee, Uriah Rennie, has opened up on his battle to walk again after being diagnosed with a rare condition that left him paralysed from the waist down. Once described as the "fittest" match official in global football and a martial arts expert, his world was turned upside down during a holiday in Turkey just last year.
After feeling severe pain in his back, doctors told the 65-year-old that he had an inoperable neurological condition, and he has revealed how he is now wheelchair-bound after spending several months in hospital. Rennie refereed over 300 top-flight matches between 1997 and 2008, thus becoming a familiar face in English football.
Towering in stature and skilled in kickboxing and aikido, he quickly proved to protesting players that he had no trouble standing his ground in heated exchanges. A magistrate in Sheffield since 1996, he has been a strong advocate for equality and inclusion in sport, mental health support, and tackling deprivation. Now, however, he faces a personal challenge of his own - the fight to walk again.
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Uriah Rennie Opens Up About Rare Condition
The 65-year-old took part in an emotional tell-all interview with the BBC
Uriah Rennie
"I spent a month laid on my back and another four months sitting in bed," he told BBC News. "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. I can move my feet and I can stand with a frame attached to my wheelchair, but I need to work on my glutes."
Rennie was about to step into his new role as chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University when he was unexpectedly hospitalised. However, his diagnosis did not deter him from his commitment to supporting his local community, as he continued working from his hospital bed. Now, he is set to officially take on his new position next month.
Originally from Jamaica, Rennie moved to the UK at the age of six. Determined to regain his strength, he expressed deep gratitude for those who have stood by him during this challenging time. "It has been frustrating, but family and friends have been invaluable, the hospital was absolutely superb, and the university has been exceptional," he continued.
"I emphasised I wanted to make a difference to Sheffield and to communities here. I carried on working with community sports teams while in hospital, directing them from my bed. I'm aiming to be the best I can physically. No one has told me I won't walk again, but even if someone did say that I want to be able to say I did everything I could to try."
As down-to-earth as ever, Rennie also explained how being the first black referee was about "creating a legacy to enable other people to stand on your shoulders". Discussing his latest challenge, he says the spinal cord compression has given him a new outlook on life.
"Lots of people are in wheelchairs, but it doesn't define them," he said. "It has made me resilient and forceful, and I will never give up - I'm not on my own, there is a village helping me." He concluded: "I recognise how brittle things are in life now. I don't know if I am going to walk fully, but I know what I need to do to try, and you must never give up hope."