Where is Mike Dean? Premier League Var's future in doubt after missing referees' meeting
The future in the English game of the Premier League’s longest-serving referee Mike Dean, who became a full-time Var last summer, is in major doubt with him absent from this week’s meeting of officials at St George’s Park having not been assigned a game since February.
It is understood that Dean had agreed with Howard Webb, the PGMOL chief refereeing officer, to miss the two-day scheduled gathering of referees and assistants. The latest round of appointments for the penultimate weekend of the season were published on Monday with Dean once more left out.
Dean, 54, was one of two full-time Vars appointed by PGMOL, the referees and assistants’ body. The other, Lee Mason, has already been stood down after mistakes during Arsenal’s draw with Brentford. Instead the full-time referees have been rotated from on-pitch duties to Var duties at Stockley Park.
Dean has been assessing referees in person at games and also doing some coaching. With him unlikely to be a Var next season, it remains to be seen whether PGMOL can find a role for him next season or whether there is a parting of the ways. It would be the end of a long association: Dean officiated 560 Premier League games issuing 114 red cards going back to September 2000 before his retirement at the end of last season.
PGMOL lost some of their most experienced referees to retirement last summer: Dean, Kevin Friend, Martin Atkinson and Jonathan Moss. All four were given new roles in the organisation. The head of Var at PGMOL, former referee Neil Swarbrick, who oversaw the introduction of the technology, will retire at the end of the season.
PGMOL released audio from referees, assistants and Var conversations on Monday night in a special edition of Sky Sports Monday Night Football in which Webb appeared. Officials have been told in private not to use swear words in their interactions during the games so that the audio is fit for broadcast in the future. PGMOL declined to comment on Dean’s future.
