Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has defended his integrity after claiming on Jamie Vardy's podcast that he played mini-games during matches, such as going 20-25 minutes without blowing his whistle. The 58-year-old faced criticism from fellow former official Mark Halsey, who said the comments added pressure on current referees. Dean posted a statement on Instagram clarifying that throughout his 25 years as a professional referee, he always applied the Laws of the Game to the best of his ability.

He explained his approach was to allow the game to flow with a high threshold for contact, but insisted he would take appropriate action for foul challenges. Dean stated he never intended to question or undermine refereeing integrity and has always respected the profession.