Former referees rubbish Mike Dean's 'secret games' claims and urge FA to investigate

Two former Premier League referees have publicly condemned Mike Dean after the retired official admitted on a podcast that he played personal ‘games’ during top-flight matches, with both men calling the claims either fabricated or deeply irresponsible.

Dean, who spent more than two decades officiating in English football before retiring in 2022, made the remarks on Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party podcast. He described timing how long he could go without blowing his whistle — claiming to have managed 20–25 minutes on several occasions — and attempting to remain inside the centre circle for as long as possible during live Premier League fixtures, once lasting around 15 minutes.

“There used to be games that we used to have, as a laugh,” Dean said. “We used to say, ‘Right, we’ll kick off now, right? See how long we can go without blowing a whistle.’ Done that a few times in the Premier, before VAR obviously.”

Former Premier League referee Graham Scott was swift to reject the account. “I worked with Mike loads at times — they’re not true stories,” Scott told talkSPORT. “It’s kind of the audio equivalent of clickbait, to try and get people interested and laughing. It’s palpable nonsense.”

Scott acknowledged Dean’s standing as an official while lamenting the broader damage such comments cause. “Mike Dean was of course an outstanding ref, but it makes it so much harder when retired referees either bash their former colleagues for the sake of it. It’s fine to criticise — I do that — but do it with a bit of context and a bit of empathy.” He went further, challenging Dean directly: “I challenge Mike and say, ‘Okay, would you stand in front of the current refs and repeat all of those things?’ And of course he wouldn’t, because they’re not true.”

Mark Halsey, another former Premier League referee, was equally dismissive. “All my years as a professional referee, I have to say I’ve never heard of these games. Never,” Halsey told BBC Sport. “I have never, ever thought about playing any sort of game going out to referee. Because they’re massive games — you’ve got the fans, you’ve got the players, you’ve got the managers.”

The controversy has prompted calls within the football community for the Football Association to open a formal investigation into Dean’s claims. Whether the FA chooses to act will likely depend on whether the admissions are treated as credible misconduct or, as Scott suggests, embellished anecdotes designed to entertain a podcast audience.