Lord Herman Ouseley, the founder of Kick It Out, has died at the age of 79.
The anti-discrimination organisation said on Thursday that the Guyanese-born British parliamentarian had passed away after a short illness.
Lord Ouseley founded Kick It Out in 1997 with the aim of tackling racism and discrimination in football, and chaired the organisation for over 25 years.
A statement from Kick It Out 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 underrepresented 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.”
Lord Ouseley sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher until his 2019 retirement while he also served as the chief executive for the Race Equality Commission.
(Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images)
