London
Premier League referee Mike Dean has received death threats against himself and his family, as the veteran official has been at the centre of several big decisions in recent weeks. It is believed that Dean, 52, has asked to not work on a Premier League game this weekend but Dean will officiate the FA Cup last 16 tie between Leicester City and Brighton on Wednesday. The abuse to Dean and his family comes after both he and Lee Mason, who work together in an officiating group, were at the heart of calls which have since been overturned and were deemed to be incorrect.
A red card to Jan Bednarek was overturned for Southampton at Manchester United, while Danny Ings’ late goal and a handball by Matty Cash for Aston Villa against the Saints was not given after lengthy VAR checks with Mason and Dean working in tandem. On both occasions with the Bednarek and Soucek red cards, Dean was asked to go to the pitch-side monitor to look at something he hadn’t seen on the pitch. He was the VAR official for Mason the Cash handball and Ings offside goal. Here is a statement from the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the governing body for referees in the Premier League.—AFP
