Ex-Premier League official: Mike Dean should be sacked after Man City development
Mike Dean cannot be the VAR operator in West Ham’s game with Man City on Sunday (7 August) and be a columnist for the Daily Mail, according to Keith Hackett.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee suggested it was a conflict of interest and not right as the on-field referee will have no opportunity to explain his decisions publicly.
The Daily Mail confirmed last week (28 July) that Dean, who retired as a referee to become a VAR operator this summer, will be writing for them during the 2022-23 campaign.
The Premier League revealed their appointments for the opening day of the season on Monday (1 August).
Michael Oliver will be the man in charge of Man City’s visit to the London Stadium while Dean will be on VAR.
“Surely, he can’t be doing this,” Hackett told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“I picked up the Mail and very clearly he’s signed a deal with them. I think he’ll be a good analyst but he can’t be a VAR as well.
“I await the PGMOL informing him that he’s no longer required in their organisation. I think that has to be the case.
“If they accept VAR one day and comment on a potential incident in a game where he is the VAR there is no way that is going to happen.
“Let’s move to the next stage and say every week the PGMOL are going to issue a summary statement on VAR and clarify their decisions, that might be a route in.
“This is like Michael Oliver saying publicly to Anthony Taylor ‘You made a right boo-boo with that’.
“He’s compromised. What gives him the right to write about an incident in his game when the referee is not allowed the right to comment on it?”
In other news, Kieran Maguire has saluted “world-beating” Man City as a Bayern Munich deal is agreed.