Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has caused a stir after revealing on the podcast Jamie Vardy's Having a Party that he and his assistants used to play games during pre-VAR matches, including seeing how long they could avoid blowing the whistle. The remarks, made to host Jamie Vardy and comedian Josh James, have drawn attention because they suggest officials were, at times, treating top-flight fixtures as a personal challenge rather than officiating strictly by the letter of the law.

Dean, 61, said he and colleagues once went 20-25 minutes in a Premier League match without blowing the whistle, deliberately "letting it go" to see how long they could last. He also claimed he once stayed inside the centre circle for almost 15 minutes during a live game, later dismissing the admissions as "just me joking about", though his hosts appeared visibly taken aback by the claims.