Former referee slammed after admitting to playing secret games with himself during Premier League games

News

FT Desk

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has sparked fury from football fans after admitting to playing secret games in his own head during top-flight matches.

Dean began refereeing in the 1980s and worked his way up through the Football League before becoming a Premier League referee in 2000.

During his career, he officiated more than 550 Premier League matches and took charge of several major occasions, including the FA Cup final.

After retiring from on-field refereeing in 2022, he worked as a VAR official before leaving PGMOL in 2023.

Despite his status as a respected referee, Dean has caused controversy by revealing details of mini-games he used to play, to himself, during matches, such as counting how long he could stay inside the centre circle without leaving.

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.'

MIKE DEAN’S SECRET PREMIER LEAGUE GAMES

Ex-Premier League referee Mike Dean admits he used to play secret mini-games on the pitch while officiating top-flight matches.

Mike Dean: “We used to say, ‘Right, we'll kick off now, right? See how long we can go without blowing a… pic.twitter.com/7ITA3Z3t7O

— BoiBoi (@ToniBoiBoi) September 2, 2026

"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."

One fan described his comments on social media as "diabolical" while another called them "unprofessional"

Another supporter commented: "Why are they laughing at this?. It’s disgusting from a supposed top referee. Messing around while fans pay hundreds of pounds for matches to be officiated professionally."

It's not the first controversial comment that Dean has made since retiring, either, as he previously admitted to not sending referee Anthony Taylor to the monitor while acting as VAR as he wanted to protect his "mate" who was having a tough afternoon in a fiery fixture between Chelsea and Tottenham.

"I missed the stupid hair pull at Chelsea versus Tottenham which was pathetic from my point of view," Dean told Simon Jordan's Up Front podcast.

"It's one of them where if I had my time again, what would I do? I'd send Anthony [Taylor] to the screen.

"I think I knew if I did send him to the screen… he's cautioned both managers, he's had a hell of a game, it's been such a tough game end to end.

"I said to Anthony afterwards: 'I just didn't want to send you to the screen after what has gone on in the game.'

"I didn't want to send him up because he is a mate as well as a referee and I think I didn't want to send him up because I didn't want any more grief than he already had."