Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has sought to clarify controversial comments he made on a podcast, which had sent shockwaves through football and prompted widespread criticism from former officials. As reported by The Guardian, Dean, who retired in 2022 after a 25-year career, including 22 years in the Premier League’s select group, addressed the furore during an appearance on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday programme.
The 58-year-old from Wirral had initially made headlines with remarks on the “Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party” podcast. During the interview, Dean suggested he would “joke about” during matches and actively try to go long periods without blowing his whistle or leaving the centre circle. According to The Guardian, the comments sparked considerable controversy, with questions raised over what Dean’s remarks suggested about his approach to officiating at the highest level.
Dean’s explanation and regret
Following a statement released on Friday, Dean elaborated on his position on Soccer Saturday, responding to questions from presenter Simon Thomas. He expressed regret over his choice of words, acknowledging the impact they had.
“It is one of them comments, if you had your time again, you wouldn’t say it, but it’s been said now and been out there,” Dean stated, as quoted by The Guardian. “There is nothing I can do now.”
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Dean went on to explain his philosophy as a referee, suggesting his comments were misinterpreted as a deliberate disregard for the rules, rather than a preference for a flowing game.
“It is one of them where as a ref, I like to go out and my threshold was always high as a ref and not to give free-kicks,” he explained. “I would give a minimum amount of free-kicks as I can and if I can keep the game flowing, I would keep it flowing. Yes, if I’ve got to step in, I’ll give the free-kick but it is just one of them things – you learn by your mistakes.”
Dean added: “Obviously, I’ve said something this week that has come out a little bit wrong, I think I could have worded it a bit better than I said but you live and learn. Hopefully we can move on. We’ll see what happens.”
Defending a long career
The former official also robustly defended his lengthy career, which began in 1985 and saw him promoted to the full referees’ list in 1997 before joining the Premier League select group in 2000. When asked by Thomas if he deliberately failed to apply the laws of the game, Dean was unequivocal.
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“No, because if I did, I wouldn’t have got as many games as I did,” he asserted. “And I wouldn’t have been on the list for 25 years. I did my job properly and professionally for the full 25 years. I have no regrets over the way I refereed the game of football. I enjoyed what I did and I think the players enjoyed what I did as well.”
The Guardian reported that Dean’s original remarks were met with “bemusement” by people currently involved in refereeing, while there was also said to be concern over a “lack of factual detail” in some of the stories he told.
Dean’s clarification is an attempt to draw a line under the controversy and stress that he never intentionally ignored the laws of the game during his long career. However, the reaction to his initial comments demonstrates how sensitive questions surrounding refereeing standards and impartiality remain in English football.
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