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Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has sought to clarify his recent remarks after triggering a huge controversy by admitting he used to play "secret mini-games" during top-flight matches. The retired official, who refereed more than 550 games, has insisted he never meant to call into question the integrity of his profession despite the unusual nature of his comments.

Dean addresses 'mini games' controversy

Former Premier League referee Dean has issued a statement to defend his record after facing a wave of criticism.

The row began after Dean said on the Jamie Vardy's Having a Party podcast that he would sometimes keep himself amused during matches with private challenges. These included trying to see how long he could go without blowing his whistle and attempting to stay inside the centre circle for long stretches of play.

The 56-year-old has now explained his position, saying the remarks were made in a light-hearted manner and did not represent the standards he maintained as a professional referee.

Dean stands by his refereeing record

In a statement, Dean responded to the angry reaction over the 'mini games' revelation that has dominated football discussion.

He wrote: "Throughout my 25 years as a professional referee, I have always applied the Laws of the Game to the best of my ability. My approach as a referee was always to allow the game to flow and whenever possible I preferred to apply a high threshold for contact which the players liked. However, if I saw a foul challenge that needed me to take the appropriate action I would give it from the correct position."

Unusual admissions from the centre circle

The original comments that sparked the debate were strikingly frank, with Dean explaining the ways he and his officiating team would have "a laugh" during high-pressure Premier League matches.

Speaking on the podcast, he described particular situations: "There used to be games that 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.' Done that a few times in the Premier, before VAR obviously. Went 20–25 minutes without blowing a whistle a few times. Let it go, let it go, let it go."

Dean reveals another 'mini game'

Dean also spoke about another challenge beyond the whistle-related ones, explaining how he would restrict his own movement as part of these private games. He added: "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. The lads used to be on the line saying 'you can't'. I said 'I'll try it'. I just used to run around but don't come out of it. Got about 15 minutes once in one game, without leaving the centre circle."