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Former referee Mike Dean has clarified his remarks after admitting he used to play secret mini-games to entertain himself during matches, comments that prompted widespread criticism.

Dean, who officiated 553 top-flight matches across a 22-year refereeing career, responded publicly after being accused of calling into question the integrity of the sport because of his private jokes, including trying to see how long he could go before blowing his whistle.

He did not, however, apologise for what he had said.

Speaking on Jamie Vardy's Having a Party podcast, he said: “We used to have little games, just for a laugh. We would say, ‘Right, we’ll kick off now, right? Let’s see how long we can go without blowing the whistle.’”

“I did that a few times in the Premier, before VAR obviously. A few times I went 20–25 minutes without blowing the whistle. Let it go, let it go, let it go.”

“I used to do another thing in the Premier League. I would stand in the centre circle and see how long I could stay there before I had to leave.”

“That was just me messing about. The lads used to be on the line saying, ‘you can’t’. I said, ‘I’ll try it’. I would just run around but not come out of it. Once, in one game, I managed about 15 minutes without leaving the centre circle.”

Dean’s remarks on the podcast led to a backlash, with fans describing his conduct as unprofessional, while figures in refereeing were left puzzled by the comments and have no evidence as to whether the secret mini-games ever actually took place.

He then wrote on Friday: “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 required me to take the appropriate action, I would give it from the correct position.”

“At no stage was it my intention to question, criticise or undermine the integrity of refereeing in this country. I have always respected the profession and the responsibility that comes with being a referee.”

Responding to the story, Mark Clattenburg, a former colleague of Dean’s, told The Telegraph: “Mike Dean is Mike Dean and has his own personality.”