For the 18th day of the Premier League, Fulham will host Burnley at Craven Cottage on December 23 (4 p.m.). An “innocuous” meeting on paper, but it will be a first in the history of English football. Indeed, the match will be refereed by Rebecca Welch (40 years old), who will therefore become the first woman to referee an English elite match. Referee Sam Alisson will also mark the modern era of the PL since he is the first black main referee in the last 15 years, and this for the Sheffield-Luton match on Boxing Day, December 26 (4 p.m.). The PL announced these two news on its official website.
“The Premier League will make history this Christmas: Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee in the competition and Sam Allison the first black person to officiate a match in 15 years. PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) has announced that the two officials will supervise Premier League matches this month. Welch will be the referee for the match between Fulham and Burnley on Saturday December 23. Allison will take charge of the Sheffield United v Luton Town match on Boxing Day, becoming the first black Premier League referee since Uriah Rennie, who officiated in the competition for 11 years, until 2008.
