Former referee Mike Dean has clarified his comments after an admission that he used to play secret mini-games to amuse himself during matches sparked widespread condemnation.
Dean, who took charge of 553 top-flight games during a 22-year officiating career, took to social media to defend himself after he was accused of undermining the integrity of the game as a result of his private jokes, which included seeing how long he could go before blowing his whistle.
He did not however apologise for his comments.
Speaking on 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.
“I used to do another thing in the Premier League. 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.”
Dean’s comments on the podcast sparked backlash, with fans branding his behaviour unprofessional, while refereeing figures were baffled by the comments and have no evidence whether the secret mini-games ever actually happened.
He then wrote on Instagram on Friday: “My approach as a referee was always to allow the game to flow and whenever possible I preferred to apply a high threshold for contact which the players liked.
“However, if I saw a foul challenge that needed me to take the appropriate action I would give it from the correct position.
“At no stage was it my intention to question, criticise or undermine the integrity of refereeing in this country. I have always respected the profession and the responsibility that comes with being a referee.”
Mark Clattenburg, a former colleague of Dean’s, told The Telegraph in response to the story: “Mike Dean is Mike Dean and has his own personality.”
Dean has not refereed since retiring in 2022.
