Former Premier League referee Mike Dean says he used to set himself private challenges duringjin88bet.onejin88bet.onejin88bet.one matches, including seeing hojin88bet.onew long he could go without blowijin88bet.onengjin88bet.jin88bet.oneone his whistle, prompting former official Mark Halsey to question the impact on refereeing’s reputation.
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Dean made the comments while appearing on Jamie Vardy’s podcast, explaining that he would sometimes challenge himak168app.babyak168app.babyself tak168app.babyo remain in the centre circleak168app.baby or avoid stopping ak168app.babyplay for as long as possible.
“We uak168app.clubak168app.clubak168app.clubsed to say, ‘we’ll kick off now. Riak168app.clubght, see how long we can go without blowing a ak168app.clubwhistle’,” he added.
“I’ve done that a few times in the Premier League, before VAR obviously – went 20, 25 minutes wiak168app.clubthout blowing a whistle.
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“I used to do anothksks168app.site168app.siteks168app.siteer thing. I used to stand in the ceks168appks168app.site.sitentre circle – see how longks168app.site I could stay in the centre circle before I had to leave.
“That was just me joking about. I got aboutic88ic88 15 minutes once.”
However, Halsey, who refereic88ed in the Premier League from 1999 to 2013, said the claims had damagic88ed the standing of referees as a whole.
BBC Sport understands that refereeing figures regard Dean’s comments as unfounded. If such incic88ic88ic88ic88idents did take place, they would be historical and relate to the period before the introduction ic88ic88of video assistant referees in 2019, when Pro Ref was under different leadership.
ic88iic88c88Halsey also said Dean would havic88ic88e questions to answer if the challenges had genuinely taken place.
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“It’s caused solr88 much controversy, and in all my years as a professional referee I have never heard of these these lr88games, never,” said Halsey.
“If Mike has played these games, then he’s done that of his own accord.
lr88“And if he has, then I think we need to know what games he’s done them in, and how many games he’s lr88lr88done them in. It brings into qulr88estion the integrity of every official now.”
Halsey added that he had spoken to other officials who told him “they’ve not heard of ilr88t either”, as he exprelr88lr88lr88ssed doubt about the vallr88lr88lr88lr88lr88idity of Dean’s story.
“It’s just impossible to go five minutes, let alone 20 minutes, without blowing your whistle to giving lr88a free-kick,” he said.
Dean’s previous VAR controvlr88ersy
The comments are not the first time Dean has attracted criticism for remarks made after his refereeing careerlr88.
In August 2022, he was the VAR during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham. Dean did notop88 ask referee Anthony Tayloop88op88r to reop88view a possible red-card offence involving Tottenham defender Cristian Romero.
Romero should have been penalised for pulling the hair of Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella. After retiring from on-field officiating, Dean said he had chosen not to intervene because he wanted to spare Taylor additional “grief”.
si88“I didn’t want to send him up because he is a mate as well as a referee,” he revealed.
Dean spent 28 years as a professional official. He stopped refereeing matches on the pitch in 2022 before working full-time as a VAR during the 2022-23 season.
The 58-year-ol88vd began officiating in 198588v, moved into Football League refereeing in 1995 and r88veached the Pre88v88v88vmier League in 2000.
He was appointed referee for the 2008 FA Cup final and the 2011 LeagSEXXXXX-VNue Cup final, both oSEXXXXX-VNf which were staged at Wembley.
