Mike Dean: Ex-referee says he played in-match games 'for a laugh' - BBC Sport BBC Homepage Skip to content Accessibility Help Your account Home News Sport Earth Reel Worklife Travel Culture Future Music TV Weather Sounds More menu More menu Search BBC Home News Sport Earth Reel Worklife Travel Culture Future Music TV Weather Sounds Close menu BBC Sport Menu Home Football Cricket Formula 1 Rugby U Tennis Golf Cycling Athletics More A-Z Sports American Football Athletics Basketball Boxing Cricket Cycling Darts Disability Sport Football Formula 1 Gaelic Games Golf Gymnastics Horse Racing Mixed Martial Arts Motorsport Netball Rugby League Rugby Union Snooker Swimming Tennis Full Sports A-Z More from Sport England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Quizzes News Feeds Help & FAQs Premier League Scores & Fixtures Table Follow Your Team Transfers Top Scorers Gossip I used to play in-match games as a laugh - Dean Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Mike Dean refereed more than 550 Premier League matches By Dale Johnson Football issues correspondent Published 3 September 2026 Former Premier League referee Mike Dean says he used to set himself mini-challenges during matches "as a laugh". Appearing on Jamie Vardy's podcast, Dean said he would see how long he could go without blowing his whistle, or stay inside the centre circle. "We used to say, 'we'll kick off now. Right, see how long we can go without blowing a whistle'," he added. "I've done that a few times in the Premier League, before VAR obviously - went 20, 25 minutes without blowing a whistle. "I used to do another thing. I used to stand in the centre circle - see how long I could stay in the centre circle before I had to leave. "That was just me joking about. I got about 15 minutes once." Mark Halsey, who refereed in the Premier League between 1999 and 2013, told BBC Sport that Dean's comments damaged the reputation of all referees. BBC Sport understands that refereeing figures consider Dean's claims to be unfounde