Mike Dean (55-England), the referee who angered Premier League fans, is ending his career as a video assistant referee (VAR). After 23 years, he’s stepping away from officiating altogether.

The Professional Game Management Organization of the United Kingdom (PGMOL) officially announced Dean’s retirement on Saturday, saying, “We would like to place on record the tremendous contribution and achievements of Mike Dean. We are grateful for his dedication to the organization and wish him well for the future.”

Dean has been officiating in the Premier League since 2000. He officiated more than 550 games in 22 years and was the first Premier League referee to issue more than 100 red cards. He retired from his on-field and assistant referee roles at the end of the 2021-22 season to continue his work behind the scenes. In the 2022-23 season, he moved to the video assistant referee (VAR) room, where he is still a familiar face to Premier League fans.

But his judgment was still there. Notorious for his frequent warnings and errors on the pitch during his time as an on-field referee, he also made some big mistakes as a VAR. A prime example of this came in the second round of last season’s Champions League tie between Tottenham and Chelsea. Christian Romero (25, Tottenham) was shown pulling Marc Cucurella (24, Chelsea) by the hair, but the VAR in the room took no action.

Tottenham scored the equalizer shortly afterwards, leading to a lot of criticism of Dean. Dean himself admitted his mistake in the situation and said he should have activated VAR. As more incomprehensible VAR decisions followed, Dean’s name has been increasingly forgotten since February of this year.

There were reports that PGMOL president Howard Webb (52-England) had ruled him out, but the British publication The Daily Mail said on Saturday that “reports emerged that Webb had spoken to Dean and ruled him out as unsuitable for the VAR role, but this was a decision made by 안전놀이터 Dean himself”.

Ultimately, this summer, Dean decided to retire from officiating altogether. Another name that has made Premier League fans laugh and cry for more than two decades is now a distant memory.