Refereeing authorities have questioned former Premier League official Mike Dean’s suggestion that he occasionally set himself light-hearted “minigames” while overseeing top-flight matches.
Dean, 58, stepped away from officiating in 2023, bringing an end to a career that spanned more than two decades at the elite level of English football.
With his refereeing days now behind him, the well-known former official has revealed that he would sometimes challenge himself during Premier League fixtures to see how long he could allow play to continue without using his whistle.
Speaking on Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party podcast, Dean said the idea was part of a bit of dressing-room-style fun among officials.
“There used to be games we would have for a laugh,” he explained. “It would kick off and you’d see how long you could go without blowing the whistle. I did that a few times in the Premier League, before VAR, obviously. I went 20, 25 minutes without blowing the whistle.”
Mike Dean has claimed he sometimes challenged himself to go as long as possible without blowing his whistle during Premier League games
Dean spent more than 20 years as a professional referee in English football before retiring in 2023
Dean also recalled another self-imposed challenge from his Premier League refereeing career, saying he would try to remain in the centre circle for as long as possible before the flow of the match forced him to move. “That was just me joking about,” he said, adding that he once managed to stay there for roughly 15 minutes.
But Daily Mail Sport understands his comments have raised eyebrows within the refereeing community, with senior figures questioning the plausibility of his claim given the lack of detail.
According to senior officials, Dean provided no indication of when these alleged ‘minigames’ took place. He also claimed they occurred before VAR was introduced for the 2019-20 season, meaning any such incidents would have taken place under previous refereeing chiefs – and current bosses are insistent that ‘integrity and impartiality’ are at the heart of referees’ decision-making.
Nevertheless, Dean’s revelations sparked outrage within the football community and former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor, reacting on talkSPORT, was angered by Dean’s appearance.
‘He’s trying to be funny but it’s not funny. You’re not funny, Mike Dean, that sums you up,’ he said.
‘He’s throwing himself under the bus. This is the Premier League. Are you a child?
‘It doesn’t sit right with me at all. I was thinking “Mike Dean managed a lot of games I played in”. One word to describe him, I’d say, is a prat.’
And many fans took to social media to voice their displeasure, with one X user even claimed that Dean should be investigated.
They wrote: ‘Why the f***‘s he admitting to this? “Oooh look at me I ruined the integrity of top level football matches while getting paid a f***ing fortune for a laugh”. And people wonder why we all think refs are ****.’
Dean admitted, somewhat dismissively, that sometimes there was an element of wanting to be the ‘centre of attention’ when he was on the field.
‘It’s about wanting to be more a part of the game than what I should have been,’ Dean said. ‘If you play an advantage and it works off, you do celebrate it; if you get a decision right you kind of want to celebrate.
‘I’d celebrate with the lads in my ear pieces and stuff. If you play an advantage and somebody scores, I think it’s great. Love it.’
But despite his prior explanations to Vardy, whom he officiated several times while the striker played for Leicester, fans found his declaration ‘baffling’.
Well-known X account, @HLTCO, wrote: ‘Yeah, not like your job was to officiate games properly. Mike Dean has said stuff like this before, Clattenburg has openly talked about letting teams self-destruct too. They seem to think it makes them sound like lads. Baffling mentality.’
Dean revealed his ‘minigames’ when speaking on Jamie Vardy’s podcast, and his quotes have caused outrage
Another person added: ‘“Professional” referee by the way. This is something you would expect from a Sunday league keeper who’s earning pittance to get abused.
‘What an absolute f***ing ****. Always behaved like he was more important than the game being played around him.’
A different account wrote: ‘How about, and I might be going out on a limb here, concentrating on officiating the matches properly rather than playing silly little games with yourself. Mike Dean thinking this makes him sound like a right lad is baffling to me.’
One football fan believed there should be further furore about what they deem ‘corruption’, despite the already high number of disapproving takes.
‘I’m sorry but how is this guy not being taken to the cleaners for brazenly admitting this s*** in public???
‘The first part about seeing how long he could go without blowing whistle is actually corruption, bc that’s tacitly admitting to altering outcomes…’
