In a groundbreaking move, Akil Howson is poised to make history as the first black official to participate in an FA Cup final, marking a significant milestone in the competition's 154-year history. Howson has been selected to serve as one of the assistant referees alongside Darren England, who will be officiating the highly anticipated match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley on May 16. This achievement comes on the heels of Howson's appointment as the Premier League's first permanent black official in 15 years, following in the footsteps of Uriah Rennie, which occurred in August 2023. The increasing diversity among officials is a testament to the progress made across both grassroots and professional levels of the sport.
Currently, over 7% of officials in the men's and women's professional games identify as black, Asian, or of mixed heritage, representing a threefold increase from 2022. The selection of Darren England as the referee for this high-profile match is a nod to his outstanding performance this season and marks a major career milestone, particularly after a notable VAR error during a Premier League match between Tottenham and Liverpool in September 2023. England had mistakenly failed to overturn an on-field decision to disallow a Luis Diaz goal for offside, resulting in a three-month hiatus from refereeing and a delayed return to VAR duties until April 2024. England, who was appointed as a Premier League referee in 2020, has previously served as the fourth official at the FA Cup final the preceding year and as an assistant at the 2015 final.