Akil Howson set to become first black official at an FA Cup final as referee line-up confirmed

SportFootballAkil Howson set to become first black official at an FA Cup final as referee line-up confirmedManchester City face Chelsea at Wembley on May 16Jamie Gardner Wednesday 29 April 2026 19:18 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2967534","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-cup-final-referee-akil-howson-darren-england-b2967534.html","title":"Akil Howson set to become first black official at an FA Cup final "}}open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-23126","index":0}In August 2023, Howson became the Premier League’s first permanent black official since Uriah Rennie (Mike Egerton/PA Wire)Inside Sport newsletter: Get an expert guide to the biggest moments shaping the world of sportGet our free Inside Sport newsletterGet our free Inside Sport newsletterEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Inside_Sport_CDP","regTitle":"Inside Sport","subscriptionGroup":"inside_sport","subscriptionGroupId":"9cec95c5-a973-40ac-9b05-03d636c07853","type":"sport","pathPrefix":["/sport","/f1"],"associatedAuthors":["Lawrence Ostlere","Kieran Jackson"],"title":"Inside Sport newsletter: Get an expert guide to the biggest moments shaping the world of sport","mobileTitle":"Get our free Inside Sport newsletter","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/InsideSport1_1.png","newsletterKey":"receiveInsideSportNews","regSourceSection":"Football","regSourceMethod":"NSCs"},"isClimate":false}Darren England, the referee at the centre of one of the most significant VAR controversies seen in the Premier League, has been named to officia...