Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has responded to the uproar over his claim that he played 'minigames' while officiating matches, insisting he always applied the Laws of the Game to the best of his ability.
Dean made the original comments on Jamie Vardy's Having a Party podcast, saying he and colleagues used to have games "for a laugh" during matches. "It would kick-off, right; see how long we could go without blowing a whistle," he said. "I done that a few times in the Premier League, before VAR, obviously. Went 20, 25 minutes without blowing the whistle."
He also said he used to stand in the centre circle to see how long he could stay there before having to leave. "That was just me joking about. Got about 15 minutes once, in one game," he said.
The remarks caused uproar in the football world, with fans questioning Dean's integrity and former officials publicly criticising him. Dean has now issued a statement on Instagram defending his conduct as a referee.
"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."
He added: "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 is set to appear as refereeing expert on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday, where he is expected to further address the controversy. He took charge of 553 Premier League games during his career.
Former colleagues hit back
Dean's former boss and refereeing colleagues have turned on him following his claims. Former referees' chief Keith Hackett, fellow ex-top flight referee Graham Scott, and referee body ProRef have all disputed his account.
Hackett, a FIFA referee for more than two years who served as Dean's boss at the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) between 2004 and 2010, wrote on X: "Mike Dean is in fantasy land!! The examination of performances assessors is forensic. When I was boss referee's performances were forensically examined. Dean on my watch could not have done what he said with the monitoring systems in operation."
Hackett said he was "satisfied [Dean] is talking nonsense" and added: "He clearly has damaged his reputation. The fallout does not help current refs."
Scott, who refereed in the Premier League between 2015 and 2025, also rubbished Dean's claims. "I worked with Mike loads of times - they're not true stories," Scott told talkSPORT. "I wish people wouldn't do this kind of thing. It's the audio equivalent of clickbait, isn't it? It's to try and get people interested and laughing. It's palpable nonsense."
Scott went on to describe Dean as shy and small in private, suggesting his on-field persona may have been a "kind of coping mechanism." Writing in The Athletic, Scott said: "For all his common sense on the field, he has shown precious little of it since retiring. Casual comments that harm former colleagues and employers do not disappear when the following day's newspapers are thrown in the bin, yet hang around forever to cause untold damage to all referees' reputations."
Questions over the claims
Daily Mail Sport understands Dean's comments have raised eyebrows within the current refereeing community, with senior figures questioning the plausibility of his claim given the lack of detail.
According to senior officials at ProRef, Dean gave no indication of when the alleged 'minigames' took place. He said they occurred before VAR was introduced for the 2019-20 season, meaning any such incidents would have happened under previous refereeing chiefs. Current bosses maintain that integrity and impartiality are at the heart of referees' decision-making.
Fans have also voiced concern on social media. One wrote that Dean was effectively admitting he "ruined the integrity of top level football matches while getting paid a fortune for a laugh," adding that it explained why people distrust referees.
Dean also admitted there was sometimes an element of wanting to be the "centre of attention" on the field. "It's about wanting to be more a part of the game than what I should have been," he said. "If you play an advantage and it works off, you do celebrate it; if you get a decision right you kind of want to celebrate."
"I'd celebrate with the lads in my ear pieces and stuff. If you play an advantage and somebody scores, I think it's great. Love it," Dean said. He officiated Vardy several times during the striker's time at Leicester City, but fans were not amused by his explanation.
One fan questioned why a "professional" referee would behave the way Dean described, while another said Dean should have concentrated on officiating matches properly "rather than playing silly little games with yourself."
