Mike Dean criticised after viral clip admitting to ‘playing games’ while refereeing

Ex-Premier League referee Mike Dean has been criticised for admitting he played ‘mini-games’ while officiating.

Dean became arguably the most recognised official in English football after taking charge of 553 top-flight matches over a 22-year career.

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He was often labelled by fans as ‘arrogant’ and made a name for himself as one of the biggest personalities in refereeing.

The 58-year-old hung up his whistle following the 2021/22 campaign and became a VAR official.

Since retiring from the game completely, Dean has launched a media career, offering his insights on the game as a former referee.

He recently went viral during an appearance on Jamie Vardy’s new podcast.

Dean 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 League, before VAR obviously. Went 20–25 minutes without blowing the 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.

“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.”

It has sparked a backlash among fans, with ProRef deciding to make no comment when approached.

talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor, who played for Aston Villa during Dean’s career, was left furious by the revelation.

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He said: “I didn’t get on with Mike Dean at all. He’s the sort of referee that gives it back to players.

“He had that arrogance about him. One word to describe him. I would say he’s a prat. That’s just the perfect word for him.

“I just think back to games now and I’m like, you were refereeing games and you were having a joke about.

“It’s like, ‘Oh okay, I want to beat my friend who I’ve had a little joke with. How long can we go without blowing our whistle or leaving the centre circle?,

“Referees should be up and down so they don’t miss anything, there was no VAR back then.

“So you might have missed penalties or free kicks because you want to joke and stay in the centre circle.”

It is not the first time that Dean has prompted controversy when speaking about his career.

The ex-official has previously admitted not referring a decision to VAR, in an attempt to protect a friend.

During a fiery draw between Chelsea and Tottenham in August 2022 and claimed he avoided sending Anthony Taylor to the screen to review a missed hair pull on Marc Cucurella as his colleague had endured a tough match.