Mike Dean claims referees played games to avoid whistles
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The Guardian's Football Daily column reports on former Premier League referee Mike Dean making startling claims on Jamie Vardy's podcast about deliberately failing to officiate matches properly during his career. Dean, appearing as a guest alongside comedian Josh James, said that before VAR was introduced he and his assistants used to play games to see how long they could avoid blowing the whistle, and separately claimed to have once stood in the centre circle for nearly 15 minutes without moving while play continued around him. The remarks, framed by the podcast as lighthearted reminiscing, have instead triggered controversy and scepticism about their accuracy.
Dean, 61, from the Wirral, said he and colleagues had gone 20-25 minutes without intervening in Premier League games, letting incidents go unpunished as a form of amusement, before later dismissing the centre-circle claim as "just me joking about". Former referee Graham Scott responded on TalkSport by calling the claims "palpable nonsense", suggesting Dean may have exaggerated to seem entertaining under the pressure of podcast appearances, having generally found him "quite shy" in person. The article notes Dean is likely to face tougher questioning over the claims when he next appears as a pundit on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday.
- Mike Dean claimed on a podcast he deliberately avoided blowing his whistle for fun
- He also said he once stood still in the centre circle for 15 minutes
- Fellow referee Graham Scott dismissed the claims as "palpable nonsense"
Full account
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has said that he and fellow officials sometimes set themselves informal challenges during matches in the period before video assistant referees were introduced. Speaking on Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party podcast, Dean said one challenge was to see how long a game could continue without a whistle being blown. He claimed that on some occasions this lasted between 20 and 25 minutes.
Dean also described trying to remain inside the centre circle for as long as possible while play continued, saying he had once managed around 15 minutes. He presented the stories as examples of officials “joking about” during games, but the remarks prompted criticism and disbelief because they appear to suggest that entertainment among referees could have affected the way matches were managed.
People within the refereeing body Pro Ref were reported to be puzzled by the account. In particular, the suggestion that an official could stay in the centre circle for such a length of time without it becoming apparent was regarded as unlikely, and there was said to be no evidence that the alleged challenges occurred. Former referee Graham Scott similarly questioned the claims, suggesting Dean may have exaggerated while under pressure to be entertaining on a podcast.
Dean retired from on-field refereeing in 2022 after more than two decades in the top flight, during which he officiated 561 matches and issued a record 114 red cards. His comments revive attention on earlier post-retirement controversy: in 2023 he said he had not urged Anthony Taylor to review a Tottenham v Chelsea decision because Taylor was a friend and he did not want to add to his difficulties. Dean was subsequently stood down from VAR duties.
Where outlets differ
Source 1 takes a strongly sceptical and satirical approach, portraying Dean’s account as likely boastful and highlighting Graham Scott’s view that it was probably exaggerated. Source 2 is more conventional and report-led: it foregrounds Pro Ref’s reported puzzlement, gives Dean’s career statistics and places the episode alongside the 2023 VAR controversy. Both reports say there is no supporting evidence for the alleged behaviour.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Football Daily | Mike Dean appears to blow the whistle on himself over in-match game claims”.