Mike Dean retires as VAR in the Premier League, ending his 28-yeare career
The legendary referee was made a full-time video assistant referee at the start of last season, but he hasn’t been able to adjust to his new role and will now retire from professional football
Mike Dean will step down from his role as dedicated VAR (
Mike Dean is about to leave his position as dedicated VAR, ending his legendary career as a referee.
Dean, 55, was named a dedicated video assistant referee at the start of last season after retiring from his on-field career. But the Telegraph reports that after honest talks with chief umpire Howard Webb, it has been decided that he is “not right” for the role.
He was one of two officials solely mandated to work at Stockley Park but has struggled to make the transition and hasn’t refereed a match since February. As a Premier League referee, Dean has officiated over 500 matches and is renowned for his unique style. Dean’s quick departure marks the latest move Webb has made in no-nonsense since being appointed head of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body that oversees the service. Last season, several apologies were made to clubs after mistakes, with Lee Mason – the other dedicated VAR – leaving his position in February.
A statement from PGMOL reads, “PGMOL would like to record its recognition of Mike’s achievements, as well as his outstanding contributions to the referees and the game as a whole.
“We thank him for his longstanding commitment to the organization and wish him every success in the future.”
For Dean, it marks the end of a career in service spanning nearly three decades, with his personality likely to appeal to broadcasters. Recently, the likes of Peter Walton have moved on to television, a role that seems to suit Dean perfectly.
His departure also marks the latest move to rethink the use of technology in British football, which continues to divide fans, players and pundits. Webb is committed to making the entire process more transparent by allowing conversations between officials to be made public.
“We’ve made a commitment to be more transparent and we know and recognize that people want more information about the refereeing process, especially with the advent of VAR,” he explained during an appearance on Monday Night Football earlier this year.
“We want to lift the curtain, we are ready to do that and show spectators and spectators what it takes to make decisions on the pitch and how VAR works too. “We are doing everything we can to be as transparent as possible,” he added. “But there are some parameters that we need to work on within that FIFA set, but we will push them.
“We’re going to do everything we can to pull back the curtain, we’re going to do some things after the game that have never been done before, and if we can do things in the game, we’ll do them.
“We’ll see what we can do after the match, even in the match with the stadium crowd, this is definitely my intention and I hope we see developments in the coming weeks.”