I used to play in-match games as a laugh - Dean

What the report says

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has said he sometimes treated matches as a personal challenge, describing on Jamie Vardy’s podcast how he would try to go long periods without blowing his whistle or remain in the centre circle for as long as possible. The BBC’s report says Dean framed these habits as jokes rather than formal refereeing practice, and noted that referee officials consider some of his claims to be unfounded, particularly for the period before video assistant referee technology was introduced in 2019.

Dean, 58, had a long refereeing career spanning 28 years, including more than 550 Premier League matches. He began officiating in 1985, reached the Football League 10 years later and the Premier League in 2000, and later worked in major finals such as the 2008 FA Cup final and the 2011 League Cup final at Wembley. He stepped down from on-field refereeing in 2022 and then spent the 2022-23 season as a full-time VAR.

The article also places Dean’s comments against a backdrop of previous controversy. BBC Sport references his role as VAR during Chelsea’s draw with Tottenham in 2022, when he did not recommend an on-field review over Cristian Romero’s hair-pulling incident involving Marc Cucurella. That episode has continued to draw attention to Dean’s post-retirement remarks and decisions. More broadly, the piece suggests his latest comments add to the scrutiny surrounding one of English football’s most recognisable referees.