Mike Dean faces scrutiny over Premier League refereeing comments

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has faced scrutiny following admissions made on Jamie Vardy’s ‘Having a Party’ podcast. Dean, who officiated 553 Premier League matches before retiring in 2022, claimed that he and other officials occasionally engaged in personal “games” during matches.

Dean stated that he would sometimes challenge himself to see how long he could go without blowing his whistle, noting that he once went 20 to 25 minutes without using it during a match prior to the introduction of VAR. He also claimed he once remained in the centre circle for approximately 15 minutes as a personal challenge.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ ‘Soccer Saturday’, Dean addressed the backlash, suggesting his comments “come out a little bit wrong” and denying that he deliberately failed to apply the laws of the game. Pro Ref, the body responsible for professional refereeing, reported that a review found no evidence to suggest such practices occurred.