Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has admitted that, in the pre-VAR era, he and his assistants used to play games within top-flight football matches to keep themselves amused.
Speaking on Jamie Vardy's podcast, Jamie Vardy's Having a Party, Dean said: "We used to say: 'Right, we'll kick off now, right? See how long we can go without blowing a whistle'. Done that a few times in the Premier, before VAR obviously. Went 20-25 minutes without blowing a whistle a few times. Let it go, let it go, let it go."
Dean's claims of centre-circle games
Dean also told hosts Jamie Vardy and comedian Josh James that he used to see how long he could go without leaving the centre-circle while play continued around him, claiming he once stayed there for almost 15 minutes. "That was just me joking about," he said, drawing unconvincing laughs from the surprised hosts.
The claims have sparked outrage on social media, but former referee Graham Scott dismissed them as "palpable nonsense" on TalkSport. "It's very sad, really. I found Mike quite shy, personally. And what happened on the field and in referee meetings and what happens now on podcasts no doubt, is that he put on a persona that was way too far the other way as a kind of coping mechanism. I've done these podcasts. You feel under a little bit of pressure to entertain and as refs we're just not very entertaining or funny. We're quite dull people with no sense of humour at all. I don't know if that's what happened here but I'll have a pretty solid bet with anyone that [it is]."
Reaction and scrutiny
It remains to be seen whether evidence will surface to support Dean's boasts, but he is likely to face tougher questioning in his role as a refereeing expert on Soccer Saturday. If no proof emerges, he may be forced to admit to fabricating the stories, which could damage the reputation of his former profession.
