Mike Dean has sensationally admitted that he didn’t send Anthony Taylor to review a decision in order to prevent him from getting ‘grief’.
📸 - Before the corner from which Kane scored, there was a VAR check for a possible red card for Romero who pulled Cucurella down with his own hair. pic.twitter.com/MjbenObvWo
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) August 14, 2022
Dean continued: “I said to Anthony afterwards: ‘I just didn't want to send you to the screen after what has gone on in the game’.
“I didn't want to send him up because he is a mate as well as a referee and I think I didn't want to send him up because I didn't want any more grief than he already had.”
After talking about that mistake, Dean revealed that he was petrified when sitting in the VAR hot seat.
He said: “That was a major error. If they don’t score from the corner it is not as big an issue. But I knew full well then I would be stood down the week after. I asked to take a bit of time off because it wasn’t for me.
“I used to get in the car on a Friday and was dreading Saturday. I was thinking, "I hope nothing happens." I used to be petrified sitting in the chair.”
Dean was not selected for VAR duties for the following two months before stepping away from refereeing altogether.
