DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Sports

Ex-Premier League referee Mike Dean defends career after ‘secret games’ backlash

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Former Premier League referee Mike Dean defended his record after saying officials sometimes challenged themselves to go long periods without blowing the whistle.
  • Dean said his approach was to let matches flow while applying the Laws of the Game when necessary.
  • He refereed 553 Premier League fixtures from 2000 to 2022 and later worked as a video assistant referee.

Mike Dean has defended his 25-year refereeing career after comments about “secret games” officials played while handling matches prompted criticism from supporters.

Speaking on the Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party podcast, the former Premier League referee said officials sometimes challenged each other to see how long they could go without blowing the whistle. He said they had managed periods of 20 to 25 minutes without stopping play before the introduction of VAR.

Right, we’ll kick off now, right? See how long we can go without blowing a whistle.

· Mike DeanHe described one of the informal challenges officials undertook while refereeing.

Dean also said he sometimes tested how long he could remain in the centre circle. “I used to stand in the centre circle and see how long I could stay in the centre circle before I had to leave,” he said, adding that he once stayed there for about 15 minutes during a match.

I used to stand in the centre circle and see how long I could stay in the centre circle before I had to leave.

· Mike DeanDean described another challenge he set himself during matches.

The remarks drew a backlash from supporters. One described the comments as “disgusting from a supposed top referee,” arguing that fans paid heavily for professional officiating. Another questioned what else Dean might not have disclosed.

In a statement on social media, Dean said he had always applied the Laws of the Game to the best of his ability. “My approach as a referee was always to allow the game to flow, and whenever possible I preferred to apply a high threshold for contact, which the players liked,” he said.

Throughout my 25 years as a professional referee, I have always applied the Laws of the Game to the best of my ability.

· Mike DeanHis social media statement defending his professional record.

Dean added that he took appropriate action when he saw a foul challenge and had never intended to question or undermine the integrity of refereeing. He officiated 553 Premier League matches between 2000 and 2022, worked as a video assistant referee during the 2022/23 season, and left officiating in 2023.

My approach as a referee was always to allow the game to flow, and whenever possible I preferred to apply a high threshold for contact, which the players liked.

· Mike DeanDean explained the refereeing style behind his comments.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog