Dean says he always applied laws - but which matches did he play games in?
Is there any evidence that former Premier League referee Mike Dean used to play mini-games during matches? BBC Sport has taken a look at the evidence.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has defended his comments about allegedly playing mini-games to amuse himself during matches. Dean, who played for 25 years, said he never intended to question the integrity of refereeing. However, another former referee, Mark Halsey, criticized Dean's comments, suggesting they added extra pressure on officials.
Dean posted a statement on Instagram explaining his comments and emphasizing his respect for the profession. To explore whether Dean actually played these games, BBC Sport analyzed his officiated matches from 2008-09 to 2018-19. Out of 214 games that were 0-0 after 15 minutes, only four reached 20 minutes without a whistle. The longest of these was 18 minutes and 20 seconds, involving Crystal Palace and Stoke.
Despite Dean claiming he could hold his whistle for 20-25 minutes, the evidence from these games suggests otherwise. Dean's longest uneventful stretch occurred in a match between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace, where he first blew his whistle at 16 minutes and 3 seconds.
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