Irish Premiership referee Keith Kennedy has passed away at the age of 33.
Kennedy began refereeing in 2007 and officiated his first Irish League match at the age of 21.
He took charge of the 2017 Irish Cup final between Linfield and Coleraine and was a Fifa-qualified official for a number of years.
Kennedy officiated the international friendly between the Republic of Ireland and Qatar at the Aviva Stadium in November 2021 and had taken charge of numerous underage international matches.
His last match was Coleraine’s 4-2 Irish Premiership win over Ballymena United on 16 August.
‘Deeply saddened’
“The NI Football League are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of referee Keith Kennedy,” read a statement from the organisation on Wednesday evening.
“A hugely experienced and respected match official in the league since 2007, Keith rose to the top of the game as a Fifa Referee, and also officiated many of the Irish League’s biggest matches and cup finals.”
NIFL Chief Executive Gerard Lawlor paid tribute to Kennedy.
“The news of Keith’s passing has shocked the league family today,” he said.
“Keith was not only a referee, but a friend to many within our clubs, he was one of the good guys. He was always approachable and the first to make the call and hold his hands up if he got something wrong.
“He was a character, a straight talker and an individual with high morals, who lived his values and convictions, possibly often to his own detriment within the game.
“To his dear family, refereeing colleagues and friends within football, we offer our deepest condolences and our prayers at this very difficult time.”
As a mark of respect, there will be a minutes’ silence held at all NIFL matches this weekend in memory of Keith.