Kick It Out founder Herman Ouseley dies aged 79 after life spent campaigning against racism & discrimination in football

LORD Herman Ouseley, the founder of Kick It Out and anti-racism campaigner, has died at the age of 79.

It is thought Lord Ouseley died on Wednesday, following a short illness.

He founded Kick It Out to tackle racism and discrimination in football and was its chairman for 25 years.

Kick It Out paid tribute to Lord Ouseley this afternoon, calling him "a fearless advocate for underrepresented and disadvantaged communities and will be sorely missed".

The anti-discrimination charity announced Lord Ouseley's death on its official X, formerly Twitter, account.

"We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Lord Herman Ouseley after a short illness," Kick It Out's statement read.

"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 under-represented 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."

He sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher from 2001 until his retirement in 2019.

Lord Ouseley was also the chief executive for the Race Equality Commission after a long career in local government.

Tributes have been pouring in with Troy Townsend MBE, a former footballer and fellow anti-racism activist, calling him "the greatest".

He wrote on X: "Back in 2020 I was so grateful to pay tribute to this legend of a man whilst he accepted a Special Recognition Award from Pride of Britain.

"Lord Herman Ouseley, I owe you a debt of gratitude for everything you did for me, for football & society. May your pain be no more."

Mr Townsend added: "[He] stood up when others stayed silent. Took on an industry that allowed racism to flourish. 

"Looked people in the eye and demanded they change. Whether it was football or politics Herman took on all comers. I'm very proud to be part of his legacy."

The FA also wrote on the social media site: "We are extremely saddened to hear about the passing of Lord Herman Ouseley.

"Lord Ouseley was a trailblazer in English football, having the original vision for @kickitout, and he played a hugely inspirational role in tackling discrimination across our game while advocating for underrepresented and disadvantaged communities."

Labour MP Diane Abbott also paid tribute to Lord Ouseley, calling him "a pioneer at the top levels of local government".

Herman George Ouseley was born in Guyana in 1946 and came to Britain when he was 12, attending William Penn Primary School and then Catford College. 

He started a successful career in local politics, going on to serve as chief executive of the London Borough of Lambeth.

It was also the first black head of the former Inner London Education Authority, a body which oversaw more than 1,000 schools and colleges in in the capital.

Lord Ouseley set up Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football in 1993 and served as the head of the Commission for Racial Equality from 1993 to 2000.

He was then made a Life Peer in 2001, going on to pick up 13 honorary degrees.

Let's Kick Racism Out of Football altered its name to Kick It Out, with Lord Ousley heading the organisation until December 2018.

The campaigner shared two children with his teacher wife, Margaret.