Former Premier League referee Mike Dean revealed on Jamie Vardy's podcast that he set himself mini-challenges during matches "for a laugh," including going 20-25 minutes without blowing his whistle and staying in the centre circle for up to 15 minutes. Dean, who refereed from 2000-2022, said these occurred before VAR's introduction in 2019.

Former referee Mark Halsey (1999-2013) strongly criticized Dean's comments, saying they damage all referees' reputations. Halsey stated he never heard of such games in his career and questioned their validity, noting it's "impossible to go five minutes" without awarding a free-kick. BBC Sport reports refereeing figures consider Dean's claims unfounded and historical, from when Pro Ref operated under different leadership.

Dean previously courted controversy in 2023 when he admitted not intervening as VAR during Chelsea's 2022 draw with Tottenham to spare referee Anthony Taylor "grief" over Cristian Romero's hair-pull on Marc Cucurella. That incident caused significant reputational damage, with one serving referee saying Dean had "thrown them all under a bus." Refereeing bosses view Dean as "old school" from a less professional era, though his recent claims remain unverified.