In the past, even not too far away, the phrase "football referee" was almost hypothetical, or one you meet in the lower leagues, but it seems that in recent years significant progress has been made in the field, football referees have already appeared on the biggest stages, at the World Cup and in the Champions League. And soon more history will be made when British referee Rebecca Welch indemnifies a Premier League match.
The league has announced that the 40-year-old referee will officiate the meeting between Fulham and Burnley on December 23, which is not the first time Welch has met Fulham, having served as the fourth referee in November's 1-0 defeat to Manchester United. Welch's career has taken a significant leap in recent years. In 2021, she became the first referee to officiate a League Cup match, followed a few months later in the FA Cup.
History will be made in the Premier League this Christmas...
Rebecca Welch will become the competition's first woman referee and Sam Allison the first black official to take charge of a match for 15 years 👇
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 14, 2023
But it's not just Welch who will make history. Referee Sam Alisson has been assigned to officiate the match between Sheffield United and Luton Town on Boxing Day, and will be the first black referee to officiate a Premier League match in 15 years. The previous judge to do so was Uriah Rani way back in 2008.
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Sam Allison. First black judge in 15 years, photo: from Twitter
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