Soccer
Mike Dean sparks outrage by revealing the secret games he played during Premier League matches
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Football fans make a habit of moaning about referees most weeks, and for all the complaints, on the whole, it's easy to feel sorry for officials who have one of the hardest jobs in the game.
However, former ref Mike Dean has sparked new outrage following his revelation of the 'fun' he and his peers allegedly used to have during Premier League games.
Often a polarising figure, both during his time as a top-flight official and in his role as an on-screen pundit since retiring, Dean has now irked fans further by admitting he used to play secret games whilst he was officiating top-flight fixtures.
Speaking as a guest on the latest episode of Jamie Vardy's Having a Party Podcast, Dean told the hosts that during his 22-year career, he would often see how long he could go without blowing the whistle or leaving the centre circle during games - leaving fans baffled by his unprofessionalism.
"There used to be games that we used to have, as a laugh, we used to say, 'Right, we'll kick off now, right? See how long we can go without blowing a whistle, " Dean said.
"Done that a few times in the Premier, before VAR obviously. Went 20–25 minutes without blowing a whistle a few times. Let it go, let it go, let it go.
"I used to do another thing in the Premier League. I used to stand in the centre circle and see how long I could stay in the centre circle before I had to leave. That was just me joking about.
"The lads used to be on the line saying, 'you can't'. I said 'I'll try it'. I just used to run around but didn't come out of it. Got about 15 minutes once in one game, without leaving the centre circle."
His confession and the manner of his words left host Vardy almost lost for words, and Dean has since been targeted on social media by fans who were stunned by his comments.
It's led to calls for referees to be investigated by some fans, and put a huge question mark on Dean's career, where he took charge of over 500 top-flight matches.
Reacting to his comments on talkSPORT, former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor called the former ref an 'idiot' and a 'prat' and said his antics are far from funny, comparing them to a child.
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