By Enitan Abdultawab
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has revealed that he used to play secret “games” during matches, including seeing how long he could go without blowing his whistle.
Dean made the revelation while appearing on former Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party podcast, where he admitted that he once went between 20 and 25 minutes without blowing his whistle during a Premier League match.
The 61-year-old, who officiated 553 Premier League matches between 2000 and 2022, said the challenge was something he and other officials did “as a laugh”.
“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’,” Dean said.
“Done that a few times in the Premier League, before VAR, obviously. Went 20 to 25 minutes without blowing a whistle a few times. Let it go, let it go, let it go.”
Dean also revealed another challenge he would set for himself during matches – remaining inside the centre circle for as long as possible.
“I used to do another thing. I used to stand in the centre circle and see how long I could stay in the centre circle before I had to leave,” he said.
“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 kind of run around and kind of go, but I don’t go out of it. Got about 15 minutes once in one game, without leaving the centre circle.”
The former official’s comments have triggered criticism from fans and members of the refereeing community, with concerns raised over the seriousness of such behaviour during matches in England’s top flight.
Dean, who also worked as a video assistant referee during the 2022-23 season, was a controversial figure during his refereeing career and frequently faced criticism from managers and players.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger famously accused Dean of being “not honest” and “a disgrace” following Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion in 2017. Wenger was subsequently handed a three-match ban after admitting that his conduct and language towards the referee had been abusive.
Dean retired from Premier League refereeing at the end of the 2021-22 season after more than two decades as a top-flight official.
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