Former Premier League official Mike Dean has dismissed suggestions of a refereeing bias towards Manchester United
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has dismissed refereeing bias.
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Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has denied Manchester United bias following complaints from rival supporters. The issues have been sparked following high-profile decisions being made during high-stakes matches in the Premier League.
There has been a stigma surrounding United and referees for a number of years, which came to a head when former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel posted a picture of referee Howard Webb in a Manchester United kit following their encounter in 2011, landing him a £10,000 fine.
Current top-flight referee Anthony Taylor has been in charge of a number of showdowns between the two North West clubs in recent years, which often sparks anger due to Taylor's affiliation with Greater Manchester, having grown up in Altrincham, also supporting the National League side.
But the Wirral-born referee was keen to dismiss the notion of refereeing bias against any Premier League club, using Taylor as an example.
"I get where you’re coming from and Anthony [Taylor] is from Altrincham, he has supported them. He does Man United against Liverpool," he said speaking on the Overlap's Fan Debate. "Having said that, Liverpool fans never complained when I officiated them and I’m a Tranmere fan. I get where you’re coming from and there could be a bit more thought in that.
"Sometimes, unfortunately, the best refs that we have live in certain areas, so there’s nothing you can do. You’re not going to have Man City vs Liverpool refereed by a guy who has only done one or two years in the Premier League, whether it's Oliver, Brooks or Kavanagh. It was like when Stuart Attwell did a game at Everton and gave a penalty, did someone complain?"
The game Dean is referencing involved Everton and Luton Town, where the Hatters were awarded a penalty. Luton picked up an important win during a crucial time in the Premier League relegation battle.
The decision angered Nottingham Forest, leading to a social media post from the City Ground club, which ultimately landed the club an unprecedented fine of £750,000.
Dean also discussed a so-called bias towards the Premier League's big six. But the 57-year-old feels that officials are making big calls against those teams on home soil now, more than ever.
Anthony Taylor.
Anthony Taylor during Manchester United's encounter against Brighton.
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He said: "You’ve got to ref what’s put out in front of you, if there’s a big call, make a big call. Refs aren’t afraid of big calls if it’s for the so-called, as you say, teams at Man U, City or Liverpool.
"If it’s an unpopular call, it’s an unpopular decision. You’ve got to referee 11 v 11 and forget what’s around. If you go to Burnley against Man City, I sent Sterling off for taking his shirt off, you could’ve said I overlooked it against a smaller team but you have to referee what’s in front of you."
Liverpool recently lodged a complaint with the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) after Virgil van Dijk's header was ruled out for offside against Andy Robertson. The Reds didn't cite any foul play but were unhappy with the reasoning behind the Dutchman's header being chalked off.
The referee for the encounter was Chris Kavanagh, with Michael Oliver on VAR. Meanwhile, Arne Slot was left aggrieved during their defeat to Manchester United after Bryan Mbeumo's opener early on.
Alexis Mac Allister went down with a head injury after a collision with Van Dijk, but play continued, leading to United earning the lead. The referee in the middle for that was Michael Oliver as Harry Maguire scored late on to inflict further misery on the Reds.
Taylor has managed more Liverpool matches than any other club, 12 more times than the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, while he has officiated 55 United games and 49 Manchester City outings.
In his last 10 matches involving the Premier League champions, he has been in charge of games against either City or United on three occasions.