Summary Mike Dean admitted to not using VAR in a Chelsea vs Tottenham match due to his personal relationship with referee Anthony Taylor. Referees' use of VAR doesn't guarantee correct decisions, as they are still prone to making bad judgment calls. Dean's admission has led to criticism and accusations of incompetence and bias in his role as a referee.
Mike Dean has admitted that he opted not to call referee Anthony Taylor to use VAR for a bizarre reason during a Chelsea match against Tottenham Hotspur last season.
What did Mike Dean say about Chelsea vs Tottenham?
The PMGOL has already been at the centre of attention in the new Premier League campaign. After all, new rules on timewasting have led to elongated matches with long spells of injury-time played in games, while that also played a part in Takehiro Tomiyasu being harshly sent off in a recent Arsenal game.
On top of that, a big mistake was made when Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana avoided punishment for one of the most blatant fouls you will ever see inside a penalty box.
Ultimately, what it shows is that despite now having the technology on hand to help reach decisions, referees are still human and humans are prone to making bad judgment calls in the heat of the moment.
Proving this with a simply astonishing admission this week, former referee Dean has claimed that he once failed to intervene on a major VAR call because he didn’t want to cause his friend Anthony Taylor any "grief".
Speaking on Up Front with Simon Jordan (via The Telegraph), the 55-year-old referred to the well-known controversial incident from last season when Spurs defender Cristian Romero violently yanked Marc Cucurella’s hair but somehow avoided punishment, only for Harry Kane to then net a 96th-minute equaliser.
“I missed the stupid hair pull at Chelsea versus Tottenham which was pathetic from my point of view," Dean admitted.
“It’s one of them where if I had my time again, what would I do? I’d send Anthony [Taylor] to the screen. I think I knew if I did send him to the screen … he’s cautioned both managers, he’s had a hell of a game, it’s been such a tough game end to end.
“I said to Anthony afterwards: ‘I just didn’t want to send you to the screen after what has gone on in the game’. I didn’t want to send him up because he is a mate as well as a referee and I think I didn’t want to send him up because I didn’t want any more grief than he already had.
“Anthony, he is big and bald and ugly enough to know if he is going to the screen he is going to the screen for a reason. If someone pulls their hair now it’s dead easy. It’s just a brainwave by me, a really bad call by me, and it kind of affected me as Var going forward.”
Sky Sports have a replay of the moment on their website. While can also see the incident in this fan footage below:
What's been said about Mike Dean?
Unsurprisingly Dean has been slammed in the media for his shocking admission. For instance, Dale Johnson of ESPN, who often writes about VAR decisions, took to Twitter to say: "A bizarre statement, and probably tells you the kind of reason why Mike Dean was jettisoned from his VAR role within two months of Howard Webb arriving as the new head of refs."
While well-known YouTuber Mark Goldbridge said: "Mike Dean admitting he didn't do anything as VAR ref last season for the Chelsea hair pull vs Spurs as he didn't want to cause his mate Antony Taylor grief confirms everything fans moan about every week. Arrogant, biased, incompetent officiating to look after your mates"
Journalist Layth Yousif added: "Mike Dean and @FA_PGMOL are not fit for purpose in any way, shape or form. Incompetence bordering on impropriety."
In the same interview, Dean continued as he spoke about the immediate fallout of his mistake, saying: “Probably I missed a few games because you get taken out of the limelight.
“That was a major error. If they don’t score from the corner it is not as big an issue. But I knew full well then I would be stood down the week after. I asked to take a bit of time off because it wasn’t for me.
“I used to get in the car on a Friday and was dreading Saturday. I was thinking, ‘I hope nothing happens’. I used to be petrified sitting in the chair.”