Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has revealed he used to set himself personal challenges during matches as a form of entertainment, admitting he would attempt to go as long as possible without blowing his whistle or try to remain inside the centre circle for extended periods.

Speaking on Jamie Vardy's podcast, Dean described how he and his colleagues would challenge themselves from the moment play kicked off. "We used to say 'we'll kick off now. Right, see how long we can go without blowing a whistle,'" Dean said. "I've done that a few times in the Premier League, before VAR obviously — went 20, 25 minutes without blowing a whistle."

Dean also recalled a separate challenge involving the centre circle. "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," he said.

Referee figures push back on Dean's claims

BBC Sport understands that senior referee figures consider Dean's claims to be unfounded. Any such behaviour, if it occurred, would be historical and predate the video assistant referee era — before 2019, when Pro Ref operated under different leadership.

This is not the first time Dean has attracted attention for controversial media comments. Following his retirement from on-field officiating in 2022, he acknowledged that — while acting as VAR during Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham in August 2022 — he chose not to send referee Anthony Taylor to the monitor to review a potential red card for Tottenham defender Cristian Romero, who appeared to pull the hair of Marc Cucurella.

"I didn't want to send him up because he is a mate as well as a referee," Dean said at the time — a statement that drew widespread criticism.

A career spanning nearly three decades

Dean enjoyed a 28-year career as a professional official. He began refereeing in 1985, moved into the Football League a decade later, and reached the Premier League in 2000. Among the career highlights he accumulated were the 2008 FA Cup final and the 2011 League Cup final, both held at Wembley. He stepped away from on-field duties in 2022 and spent the 2022-23 season as a full-time VAR before retiring entirely. He is 58 years old.