Tributes are being paid to Sir Herman Ouseley, the former chair of Kick It Out, the organisation tackling discrimination in football, who has died after a short illness at the age of 79.
A statement from Kick It Out said: “Lord Ouseley was a titan in tackling discrimination in football over the 25 years he was chair of Kick It Out, having founded Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football in 1993. He was also a fearless advocate for underrepresented and disadvantaged communities and will be sorely missed.
“Lord Ouseley’s vision to set up Kick It Out was the first true structural change in football to take on a problem that had blighted the game for decades.
“Fans and participants are now more aware of discrimination and how to challenge it, which is a legacy of the tenacity and vigour he showed in ensuring football continued to change.
“We owe him a huge debt of gratitude and vow to continue that legacy for the benefit of future generations.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
🗣️ “I don’t think there’s been a single individual that’s made the impact across society, community and football the way Herman has.”
— Kick It Out (@kickitout) October 3, 2024
Paul Elliott, former Chelsea Captain and co-founder of Kick It Out, speaking about his friend Lord Herman Ouseley at Kick It Out’s 30th… pic.twitter.com/R9U6zUGRt8
The Premier League said: "The Premier League is extremely saddened to hear the news of Lord Herman Ouseley’s death. In his 25 years as Chair of Kick it Out, Lord Ouseley inspired change and played an instrumental role in tackling discrimination in football and championing equality. Our thoughts are with his family and friends."
Ouseley was executive chairman at the Campaign for Racial Equality in 1993 when he helped to create Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football, football's first anti-racism charity, which then became known as Kick It Out. He chaired the charity for 25 years.
During that time, he worked tirelessly to build relationships with football bodies and with clubs to tackle racism and helped to develop anti-discrimination matchday campaign as well as the reporting of racism at matches.
Ouseley was made a Knight Bachelor in 1997 for services to community relations and local government and made a life peer in 2001, sitting in the House of Lords as a crossbencher until his retirement in 2019.
