A former referee, Jarnail Singh, expresses deep pride and emotion as he anticipates witnessing his son, Sunny Singh Gill, create history as the inaugural British South Asian referee in the Premier League
Sunny’s journey to the top of English football started when his dad would take him and his brother Bhupinder as teenagers to run the line for him at Asian tournaments.
“Proud isn’t the word,” Jarnail told BBC Sport before Sunny takes charge of Crystal Palace against Luton Town on Saturday.
“As a parent we all wish our children to exceed in life [beyond] whatever you’ve achieved, so it’s not just with Sunny but Bhupinder as well.
“They’ve both exceeded our expectations and it’s just a very proud moment for the family, friends, the community and the Sikh religion. I’ll be honest, it’s very emotional.”
Bhupinder made history as the premier Sikh to act as a Premier League assistant referee, officiating during the Southampton versus Nottingham Forest match in January 2023.
Jarnail officiated as a referee in the English Football League from 2004 to 2010.
Asked if he had any advice for Sunny ahead of his debut in the top flight, Jarnail humorously quipped, “Yes, to do everything the opposite to what I would do!”
“No, you know what, he’s his own man. He knows as much as I do.
“He’s got the appropriate coaches under him in that they’ve got psychologists, they’ve got everybody there who will be supporting him and have been supporting him over the last two years since he’s been on the ERDP [Elite Referee Development Plan].
“I’ve got full faith in what they’ve done and what they’re doing. I’m sure he’ll be prepared mentally and physically for the game at the weekend.”
In 2022, Sunny earned a promotion from the National League to the EFL by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the organization responsible for referee appointments in English leagues.
Through PGMOL’s ERDP (Elite Referee Development Programme), Sunny was able to resign from his position as a prison officer to fully focus on his refereeing career. This opportunity granted him the time necessary to train, develop his skills, and participate in meetings alongside Premier League and Championship referees.
Earlier in the current season, Sam Allison made history as the first black referee to officiate a Premier League match in 15 years, while Rebecca Welch achieved the milestone of being the first female referee to officiate a match in the same competition.
The Football Association has established objectives aimed at enhancing the diversity of match officials throughout the football pyramid. They aspire to see an increase of 1,000 women referees and 1,000 black or Asian referees at all levels by 2026.
The FA and PGMOL have also launched an initiative “aimed at strengthening the pathway between the grassroots and elite game for match officials from historically under-represented communities”.
“You’ve heard the phrase, ‘if you can’t see it, you can’t be it’,” said Jarnail. “Hopefully, when Sunny walks out and officiates on Saturday, other members of diverse groups will say, ‘if Sunny can do it – he’s one of us, so can we’.
“He’s a great role model, as is his brother, and other match officials this year when you think about [assistant referee] Akil Howson, who has been getting Premier League games all year, Sam Allison and Rebecca Welch as well as others from minority groups that have been given similar opportunities lower down the pyramid.”
He added: “It’s early days. Let’s see what happens. The most important thing is that Sunny’s got it, but then it doesn’t stop there.”
Speaking on Friday before the game, Crystal Palace’s new manager Oliver Glasner said: “It’s great because it shows everything is possible for everybody… I think it’s a great statement for the Premier League.
“There is one moment in life where everything is the first time, and for him it’s the first time being a referee in the Premier League. He deserves it because he had great performances as a referee, so he doesn’t need any advice from me.”