Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has revealed that he used to play secret games during Premier League matches, admitting to seeing how long he could go without blowing the whistle or leaving the centre circle. The comments have sparked outrage from fans who have slammed his antics as 'diabolical' and 'unprofessional'.
Dean's Confession on Podcast
Dean ended his position as video assistant referee in 2023, 12 months after retiring from refereeing. Speaking on the Jamie Vardy's Having a Party podcast, he said: "There used to be games that we used to have, as a laugh, 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," he added.
Centre Circle Challenge
Dean also described another game he played during Premier League matches. "I used to stand in the centre circle and see how long I could stay in the centre circle before I had to leave. That was just me joking about. The lads used to be on the line saying 'you can't'. I said 'I'll try it'. I just used to run around but don't come out of it. Got about 15 minutes once in one game, without leaving the centre circle," he said.
Fan Reaction
The comments have prompted uproar on social media. "Why are they laughing at this?" said one fan. "It’s disgusting from a supposed top referee. Messing around while fans pay hundreds of pounds for matches to be officiated professionally."
"What else was going on that he’s not disclosing? And they call themselves professional," another vented. "Watched loads of games where ref has been soft early doors & waved play on when a big chance from a transition is scuppered by tactical fouling. Lost for words… muppets!" fumed another user on X.
"I think it’s such a hard job and they get blamed for everything but this isn’t helping them," said one frustrated supporter. "How can you decide to not blow your whistle?" "Every fan should be refunded for this," another person commented. "Stories like this only makes it worse for refs of today," said another. "More scrutiny, more pressure. Astonishing really."
Pro Ref had no comment to make when approached. There will be more to follow on this breaking news story.
