25 minutes without a whistle: Premier League referee Mike Dean admits playing secret 'games' for a 'laugh' during matches

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has revealed that he used to play unusual “mini-games” while officiating top-flight matches, including challenging himself to go as long as possible without blowing his whistle.Dean, 58, made the revelation while appearing on Jamie Vardy’s Having a Party podcast. The former referee officiated 553 Premier League matches during a 22-year career and admitted that he and other officials would sometimes turn certain aspects of matches into personal challenges, particularly before the introduction of VAR.Mike Dean’s no-whistle challengeOne of Dean’s games involved seeing how long he could go without stopping play with his whistle.“There used to be games we used to have, as a laugh, we used to say, ‘Right, we’ll kick off now, right. See how long we can go without blowing a whistle,’” Dean said.He revealed that he managed to stay whistle-free for between 20 and 25 minutes on several occasions, repeatedly reminding himself to allow play to continue.“I've done that a few times in the Premier League, before VAR, obviously. Went 20-25 minutes without blowing a whistle — ‘Let it go, let it go, let it go,’” he added.Centre circle challengeDean also revealed another unusual challenge that involved staying inside the centre circle for as long as possible.“I used to do another thing in the Premier League. I used to stand in the centre circle and see how long I could stay in the centre circle before I had to leave. That was just me joking about,” he said.The former official explained that his fellow referees would encourage him to attempt the challenge from the touchline.“The lads used to be on the line saying, ‘You can’t.’ I said, ‘I’ll try it.’”Dean said he would move around the centre of the pitch while deliberately avoiding stepping outside the circle.“You'd just, like, kind of run round, kind of go ... But don't come out of it [the centre circle]. I got about 15 minutes once, in one game, without leaving the centre circle,” he revealed.Dean did not give any examples of specific matches when he played these "games." VAR was introduced in 2019 which means that, if he did play the "games" before its introduction, it would have been under Pro Ref's previous leadership. Dean retired from refereeing in 2022 after more than two decades at the highest level and has since remained a prominent voice on refereeing and football matters.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.