Soccer-Former referee Dean defends integrity after backlash over playing 'games' during matches

Soccer Football - Premier League - Chelsea v Watford - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - May 22, 2022 Referee Mike Dean blows his whistle. REUTERS/Tony Obrien

Sept 4 (Reuters) - Former Premier League ⁠referee Mike Dean said it was never his intention to "undermine the integrity" of ⁠officiating in England after facing sharp criticism for admitting he played 'games' such ‌as seeing how long he could go without having to blow the whistle.

Dean was one of England's top referees who officiated in more than 550 Premier League matches before retiring in 2022. He served as ​a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) official for one more season ⁠before leaving the role in 2023.

Speaking ⁠on "Jamie Vardy's Having A Party" podcast, Dean recalled jokingly challenging himself to let play flow ⁠for ‌as long as possible without blowing the whistle and seeing how long he could remain in the centre circle before needing to move.

Former Premier League ⁠referee Mark Halsey was one of many former officials who ​said the comments brought ‌into question the integrity of match officials in England before Dean defended himself.

"Throughout ⁠my 25 years ​as a professional referee, I have always applied the Laws of the Game to the best of my ability," Dean wrote on Instagram 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 needed 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."

Dean admitted he had tried to ​see how long he could go without blowing the whistle "a ⁠few times in the Premier League" before VAR was introduced.

"Another thing with me 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," he added.

"That was just me joking about."

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)

Thank you for your report!

足球 - 英超联赛 - 切尔西对阵沃特福德 - 斯坦福桥球场，伦敦，英国 - 2022年5月22日 裁判迈克·迪恩吹响哨声。路透社/托尼·奥布莱恩

9 月 4 日（路透社）——前英超裁判迈克·迪恩在承认自己曾参与“游戏”（例如看自己能坚持多久不吹哨）而受到严厉批评后表示，他从未想过要“破坏”英格兰裁判的公正性。

迪恩是英格兰最优秀的裁判之一，在 2022 年退役前，他执法了超过 550 场英超联赛。之后，他又担任了一个赛季的视频助理裁判 (VAR)，于 2023 年卸任。

在“Jamie Vardy 的派对”播客节目中，迪恩回忆起自己曾开玩笑地挑战自己，尽可能长时间地让比赛自由进行而不吹哨，看看自己能在中圈停留多久才需要移动。

前英超裁判马克·哈尔西是众多前官员之一，他表示，迪恩的言论让人质疑英格兰比赛官员的诚信，之后迪恩为自己辩护。

“在我25年的职业裁判生涯中，我一直尽我所能地运用比赛规则，”迪恩周五在Instagram上写道。

“我作为裁判的原则始终是让比赛流畅进行，并且尽可能地对身体接触设定较高的标准，球员们也喜欢这样。但是，如果我看到犯规需要我采取适当的行动，我会在正确的位置做出判罚。”

“我从未想过要质疑、批评或破坏我国裁判工作的公正性。我一直尊重这个职业以及裁判所肩负的责任。”

迪恩承认，在 VAR 引入之前，他曾在英超联赛中“几次”尝试过不吹哨。

“我在英超联赛时还有一件趣事，我经常站在中圈，看看自己能在中圈待多久才不得不离开，”他补充道。

“我只是开玩笑而已。”

（班加罗尔 Rohith Nair 报道；Clare Fallon 编辑）

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