For a league that owes it’s success largely to several black players, one would have
expected the EPL to have a fair representation of black referees. But surprisingly, there
is no black referee in the EPL. In fact, according to the little research I did, the EPL
has only had one black referee in it’s entire history and that is Uriah Renee who served
from 1997 – 2008.

Sometime ago, I had a conversation with a friend who understands the British much more
than I do. I asked him why there are very few blacks and other minorities in the top UK
universities like Oxford and Cambridge. He explained that in the UK, they have a form of
institutionalized racism. By that he meant you can only get into the elite universities
either by lineage, social class or wealth. For instance if your great grand father
attended Oxford, that paves the way for your grand father, father and then yourself to
attend by virtue of lineage. Since most blacks do not have such aristocratic lineages,
that effectively excludes them from attending the elite universities via the lineage route.

This same form of institutionalized racism may be preventing blacks and other minorities
from being accepted as referees in the EPL and other aspects of life in the UK. It is a
big shame. Such a thing can never happen in America where even women serve as referees in
professional sports such as the NFL and NBA. Here in America, schools, companies, government
agencies, sporting organizations etc go out of their way to recruit minorities. In fact,
they have a name for it: “Affirmative Action”. That is why America remains the greatest
country in the world. A few years ago, the body that manages EPL referees expressed
interest in affirmative action. Apparently, that interest did not amount to anything
fruitful.

P.S: Affirmative action is quite different from nepotism or tribalism. In fact, it is the
opposite. Under affirmative action, one’s minority status can be used as a factor but not
the only factor in enhancing chances of being hired for a position. For instance, if two
similarly qualified black and white students apply for a position in a university that is
pre-dominantly white, the black student will have a slight advantage as a minority. I
understand practices such as affirmative action are illegal in the UK. That does not
surprise me since that only strengthens the aforementioned institutionalized racism and
ensures it’s longevity.

Wondering, why are there no white referees in the Nigerian premier league

jhydebaba: Wondering, why are there no white referees in the Nigerian premier league

How many white players play in the Nigerian Premier League or are you being snarky

ITS CALLED ENGLISH/ PREMIER LEAGUE ITS MEAN'T FOR THE WHITE ONLY...SAME OVER HERE IN NIGERIA, NPL,ITS CALLED NIGERIA'S PREMIER LEAGUE A WHITE MAN CAN'T BLOW NPL MATCH...MOREOVER THE CHOOSING OF REFEREES,FIFA IS IN CHARGE OF THAT.I DONT REALLY KNOW WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE NIGERIA PREMIER LEAGUE

Aijalon: MOREOVER THE CHOOSING OF REFEREES,FIFA IS IN CHARGE OF THAT.

Your statement is incorrect. FIFA chooses referees for FIFA organized competitions like the
World Cup. Referees in the EPL are chosen by a body called "Professional Game Match Officials".

Aijalon: ITS CALLED ENGLISH/ PREMIER LEAGUE ITS MEAN'T FOR THE WHITE ONLY...SAME OVER HERE IN NIGERIA, NPL,ITS CALLED NIGERIA'S PREMIER LEAGUE A WHITE MAN CAN'T BLOW NPL MATCH...MOREOVER THE CHOOSING OF REFEREES,FIFA IS IN CHARGE OF THAT.I DONT REALLY KNOW WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THE NIGERIA PREMIER LEAGUE

ignorance................. is the curse of the black race