Mike Dean’s secret games spark outrage in Premier League

Ex-Premier League referee Mike Dean has shocked fans by admitting he deliberately played secret games during matches, once going 20–25 minutes without blowing his whistle and staying in the centre circle for about 15 minutes in a single fixture, he revealed on a podcast.

Dean’s career and VAR controversy

The former referee took charge of Premier League games for 22 years before ending his on‑field duties and later serving as a video assistant referee until 2023. He has previously said he avoided sending colleague Anthony Taylor to the VAR screen during a heated Chelsea‑versus‑Tottenham draw, claiming he did not want to add further grief for his “mate”.

Dean told Simon Jordan’s Up Front podcast: “I missed the stupid hair pull at Chelsea versus Tottenham which was pathetic from my point of view… If I had my time again I’d send Anthony to the screen.” He added that he deliberately refrained because “he’s a mate as well as a referee”.

Other referees’ bizarre admissions

Former referee Michael Clattenburg sparked anger when he told the Men in Blazers podcast that he entered the 2016 “Battle of the Bridge” match with a “gameplan” to let Tottenham lose the title, saying, “If I sent three players off from Tottenham, what are the headlines? ‘Clattenburg cost Tottenham the title.’ It was pure theatre.”

Mark Halsey, in his 2013 autobiography, confessed to texting Sir Alex Ferguson, staying in a five‑star Algarve hotel on José Mourinho’s expense, and ending a first half early to use the restroom. He later claimed he had been instructed to ignore certain incidents, pointing the finger at the PGMOL.

Graham Poll admitted during a Champions League tie between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund that he asked Zinedine Zidane for his shirt three times while the match was in progress, a request that reportedly distracted the French star.

Fans have reacted with fury, branding Dean’s revelations “diabolical” and “unprofessional”, and warning that such behaviour only deepens mistrust of VAR and the officiating body.