Bhupinder Singh Gill made history in Wednesday’s clash between Southampton and Nottingham Forest as he became the first Sikh to act as an assistant referee in the Premier League.
Gill lined up alongside fellow assistant referee Marc Perry for Wednesday game at St Mary’s. Thomas Bramall was the match referee for the game.
Bhupinder is the son of English league football’s first turbaned referee Jarnail Singh, who took charge of more than 150 EFL games between 2004 and 2010, but none in the Premier League.
Trailblazer Jarnail still remains active as a referee in both the Combined Counties League as well as at Khalsa Football Federation (KFF) tournaments.
Jarnail, who has previously gained Premier League experience as a fourth official, was beaming with pride as he attended the match at St Mary’s to watch his youngest son make history.
“For the Sikh community and all South Asians who dream of a career in the game, seeing Bhupinder officiate in the Premier League is absolutely massive,” he told Sky Sports News.
“As a father, you can imagine I am very proud to see Bhupinder in the Premier League. It’s every father’s dream to see their children succeed, and do better than them, and achieve more – whether that is in terms of family life, education or sport.
