Former Premier League referee Mike Dean, who retired from officiating duties recently, has admitted that he missed a huge VAR call in a Premier League match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
According to him, he didn’t ask the on-field official Anthony Taylor, to visit the side-monitor during the game because the referee was his friend and he did not want to give him any grief.
Mike Dean was the video assistant referee during a 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham at Stamford Bridge, where Cristain Romero pulled Marc Cucurella’s hair during a corner kick.
Mike Dean spoke on the game for the first time since his retirement, revealing he intentionally made the decision not to send Anthony Taylor to the monitor to check on Cristian Romero’s red card offense for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.
“It is one of those things where, if I had my time again, what would I do? I would send Anthony Taylor to the screen.”
“I think I knew if I did send him to the screen, he is cautioned by both managers; he has had a hell of a game; it has been such a tough game end to end”.
The incident led to controversy in the London Derby at Stamford Bridge, which happened on August 14, 2022.
Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte argued on the pitch, which led to both managers receiving match bans after the game.
After the match, both managers had their handshakes entanglement as they didn’t want to go their separate ways, with the players having to come in between them.
In the match, Senegalese international Kalidou Koulibaly scored from a corner kick, but Tottenham equalized through Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the second half.
15 minutes before the end of the match, Reece James scored the second goal for Chelsea, with Tuchel celebrating wildly on the touchline. Harry Kane made it 2-2 from the corner spot afterward.
Mike Dean also made a claim about how he made the wrong decision in a match between Manchester United and Southampton, where he sent off Southampton defender Jan Bednarek. Mike Dean believed it was completely wrong.
Mike Dean stepped down as a dedicated VAR official with the PGMOL going through a lot of changes under the new president, Howard Webb.
How PGMOL Reacted to Mike Dean’s Statement About Not Sending Anthony Taylor to the VAR Monitor
The Premier League’s official governing body claimed Mike Dean’s statements were totally false after he confessed to not making the right call in the Chelsea vs Tottenham match.
PGMOL released a statement saying “VARs undergo extensive training with the focus centered entirely on working with the on-field team of officials to rectify clear and obvious errors”.
“When VARs identify a clear and obvious error by the on-field team of match officials, they should intervene and recommend a review by the referee”.
