Ex-ref Mike Dean admits to waiving VAR decision for 'mate' Anthony Taylor

So Mike Dean admits to cheating when he was a VAR!

We always suspected he was dodgy, now it’s official.

At least he won’t inflict his prejudices on any teams now.

That VAR thing with Mike Dean perfectly sums up what a flawed system VAR is. It's video 'assisted' and thus always going to be open to human error in the same way it always has been because it still comes down to opinion/viewpoint/emotion.

It will always be slightly messy as it still is in rugby (see the recent Owen Farrell debacle), though in cricket it's (mostly) pretty much bang on correct every time.

I've actually fallen back in love with cricket in the last few years, and fallen more & more out of love with football in no small part due to VAR.

I thought refs were now paid as professionals. So a professional decision was avoided because he felt sorry for Taylor - awful ref - and did not do his job as per his Ref Contract.

Now that's what I call bringing the game into disrepute. Maybe Chelsea could sue him. I hope so.

Absolute disgrace and confirms what we've all been saying is that the VAR is only used when it suits the narrative (or club) or the guy in charge of it.

Ah the ol’ referee reacharound. Once the stuff of lore and now hanging out there for all to see. Has a bit of a naughty boy sense of privilege to me. Like ‘hey, it’s okay we earned the discretion after this many years of service’. More like, they are too valuable to the top six when it’s tight

Doesn't this constitute match fixing? Isn't that a criminal offence?

What are the crown going to do about this? Lock him up.

The monocles are dropping from sockets over this.

“I didn't want to send him up because he is a mate “

This is a multi-billion sport, hundreds of millions at stake sometimes by a one point margin and you get admissions like this.

Still can't believe that the VAR didn't send the ref to the screen when Tarkowski was wrongly penalised vs Fulham. Was there some matey behaviour going on there with someone?

It doesn't say a great deal for the character of the men charged with officiating the game.

If one mate can't give a decision because it might give his mate a 'bit of grief' then it's obvious very few of them are going to give decisions against the teams with the media on their side and the thousands if not millions of fans who will give them lots of grief on social media, if they do.

Barry,

Can you imagine this kind of thing in another line of work?

I decided to let Peter Sutcliffe the Yorkshire Ripper go free because he's had enough grief throughout the trial. I decided to loosen the noose so Dr Crippen could escape as he's a mate.

You couldn't make it up.

Kieran, your post comparing Premier League referees to the Yorkshire Ripper is spot on. 👌

The VAR panel should be 4 explayers plus a ref. A goalkeeper, a defender, a midfielder and a forward. The players understand the game and what is going on. The ref to advise on the laws of the game.

If the decision takes more than 3 minutes, the on field decision stands. Discuss.

Mike Dean and Co, they should be bought before the FA for cheating, bias, and unprofessional conduct.

Other referees have written books and admitted their sins, so to speak. The game, I am ashamed to say, is corrupt, has been for years and years, and the VAR has made that even blatantly clear.

The FA can fine a player or club for saying they are not fit for purpose or criticise a referee's decision, heavy penalties for players and all clubs. The FA should be bought to court as soon as this is out in the open.

But I fear I will be told to shut up and move on. Nowt will be done to corrupt officials. As an Evertonian I've seen the beautiful game being more and more bought into dispute by the FA and referees yet they all get away with it scot-free.

Are there many fans surprised by this confession, I think these incidents are ripe since the VAR was brought in and will continue while it lasts in its present form. Bias has always been part of a referee's make-up, it has been more obvious with the VAR.
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Is Dean still operating in some capacity for the FA? If he is, he should immediately be suspended until this incident is addressed.

The likes of Mark Crappenberg, Lee Mason, fatty Jon Moss and Old Mother Riley must have had lots of mates as well, especially when they had a little earner on the outcome.

Some of the refs have been attention-seekers. Dean was one of them. The chance to be centre of attention is just too much for them to resist.

The VAR should be the tool to eradicate mistakes but instead it lies in the hands of guys who are not impartial and have the subjectivity to decide what is a "clear and obvious error" and what is not.

This inevitably leads to favouritism.

About time we had unbiased international officials.

The fact that Dean has opened his gob about this shows his idiocy more than any of his dubious decisions on the field (and there were many).

It's not quite a confession. He says he didn't want to send his mate to the screen, but he also said he missed the hair pull.

If he saw the hair pull but then ignored it, I think if he was confessing he would have said he let it go.

It's not professional and raises more questions on your conduct and your colleagues. Really, Mr Dean stop it now. Your governing body should step in but they won't. The term accountability has gone as such people are allowed to boast at their conduct with no punishment. The decision-making at times in football has been strange to observe and with VAR even stranger. If referees want to be treated as professionals start acting like it.

Maybe Maupay is 'mates' with all the Premier League goalkeepers!

Said it before and will say it again. The VAR system is corrupt – only because of the people who are the officials…

Also – Change the offside rules. A fingernail difference should not count!!!!!

Amazing confession. Says it all about the mess the game is in