Mike Dean Defends Referee 'Games' After Backlash

The admission came on Jamie Vardy's Having a Party podcast, hosted by the Cremonese forward who has scored seven goals since joining the Italian side in October 2025. Dean told him: "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 went further, describing a separate habit. "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."

The remarks drew a swift backlash. Fans called the behaviour unprofessional, and refereeing figures said there was no way of confirming whether the games described had actually happened. Mark Halsey, another former Premier League referee, told BBC Sport it would be "impossible" to hold off blowing the whistle for even a few minutes, let alone more than 20, and said the comments had added extra pressure on officials working today.

Dean did not retract his account when he posted a statement on his Instagram story on Friday, but he set out the context behind it. "Throughout my 25 years as a professional referee, I have always applied the Laws of the Game to the best of my ability," he wrote. "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."

Dean took charge of 553 top-flight matches across a 22-year officiating career. The row has since drawn a separate rebuke from a former colleague, who wrote that Dean "doesn't need to embellish stories that harm referees' reputations."

Whether Dean's clarification settles the matter may depend on the evidence BBC Sport has said it is checking against match footage from his Premier League games. If nothing in the record supports the 20-25 minute spells he described, the story may move from a row over judgement to one over accuracy.