FA face Dean investigation calls after ex-Premier League ref's staggering confession

The FA have been sent a clear message by Mirror readers that an investigation should take place following comments made by former Premier League referee Mike Dean. The 58-year-old, who retired from being a top-flight official in 2022, sparked uproar on Thursday after admitting he used to play secret games while he was officiating.

These ‘games’ included seeing how long he could go without blowing the whistle or leaving the centre circle, which has caused huge controversy. Pro Ref have refused to comment on the matter, but fans have criticised Dean and called for authorities to look into his comments.

Dean spent 22 years as a top-flight referee before serving 12 months as a video assistant referee and calling time on his career as a football official in 2023.

The former Premier League referee made the staggering confession about the 'games' he played during top-flight matches during an appearance on Jamie Vardy's Having a Party podcast.

Dean said: "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.'

"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 don't come out of it. Got about 15 minutes once in one game, without leaving the centre circle."

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page

Mirror Football ran a poll asking readers whether there should be an investigation into Dean's comments, and the consensus was clear.

With more than 500 votes cast, 71 per cent believed that Dean’s remarks call for an investigation, while the remaining 29 per cent said that no further action was needed as of Friday morning.

Have your say in our poll below!

A report in BBC Sport has claimed that refereeing figures believe Dean’s comments to be ‘unfounded’. Dean made it clear that his claims predate the VAR era, which was introduced in 2019 in England's top flight, when Pro Ref was under different leadership, with Howard Webb currently serving as the chief refereeing officer.

Former Premier League referee Graham Scott recently criticised the remarks made by Dean, labelling them as ‘nonsense’.

“I worked with Mike [Dean] loads at times, they’re not true stories,” Scott told talkSPORT.

“It’s kind of the audio equivalent of clickbait isn’t it, to try and get people interested and laughing. It’s palpable nonsense.

“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.”

Scott later added: “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.”

Mirror Football has approached the FA for comment regarding Dean's comments.

Sky's Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle includes at least 215 live Premier League clashes across the 2026/27 season, with more than 1,500 games from the EFL and beyond, plus F1, golf and darts.