(Reuters) – Former Premier League referee Mike Dean said the use of the term “mate” to refer to fellow official Anthony Taylor has been misunderstood, just days after acknowledging that he didn’t alert Taylor to a refereeing error last season to spare him from further criticism.
Dean, 55, served as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) during a contentious 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in August last year, when Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero pulled Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella to the ground by his hair during a corner kick.
Although the on-field referee, Taylor, did not give a foul, Spurs scored a last-minute equaliser from the resulting play.
Dean later admitted that he chose not to ask Taylor to review the incident on the VAR screen because Taylor was a “mate” and he wanted to spare him from further criticism.
In response to these claims, the referees’ organization, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), released a statement on Friday denying any suggestion that VAR officials fail to intervene when they observe a clear mistake.
Speaking to Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, Dean clarified his remarks, stating, “The use of the term ‘mate’ has been blown out of proportion. When you have a game on the weekend, the four referees, VAR, and AVR form a team. Those six individuals become your mates for the day. So, the idea of us being mates has been misunderstood.”
Dean, who officiated over 550 matches in the Premier League and served as a full-time VAR official last season, was suspended from VAR duties for two months following the match.
In July, the PGMOL announced that Dean would be stepping down from his role and leaving the referees’ organization.
Reflecting on his mistake at the time of the incident, Dean admitted, “I want to support the referee as much as possible, and that’s what you do as a VAR. Yes, I was wrong, and I should have asked him to review the incident on the screen. It was an error on my part, and I faced the consequences. I didn’t have a match for three weeks after that. I take full responsibility for it. He’s not my best mate, we’re simply colleagues for the day.”
“Anthony shouldn’t face any criticism, I should. I’ve already received criticism for this incident that occurred 15 months ago. It’s my fault. I apologized to the entire group last year,” Dean concluded.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; editing by Robert Birsel)
Credit: The Star : Sport Feed
