On Wednesday, Bhupinder Singh Gill became the Premier League’s first Sikh-Punjabi assistant referee when he ran the line in Southampton’s home game against Nottingham Forest at St Mary’s.
The 37-year-old comes from a football family, with father Jarnail Singh being the first referee in the English league to wear a turban and officiated in more than 150 Football League (EFL) games between 2004 and 2010.
Sunny, Bhupinder’s elder brother, is also an EFL referee.
“This has to be the proudest and most thrilling moment in my refereeing career, but I’m not getting carried away since it’s simply another step in the right direction,” Bhupinder said before the game to English media.
“Hopefully, this is another chance to help inspire the future generation to sign up to a refereeing course and get into officiating.
“My aim has always been to reach the pinnacle of the game, to be a role model for future officials, and to encourage more people from varied backgrounds, particularly those from South Asian origins like mine, to become officials.”
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