North London Sniper! Dean: Wenger and I don’t get along, maybe I’ll lose their games if I officiate them

November 19 News: Mike Dean, the famous Premier League referee, will step down as on-field referee in 2022, and 12 months later, he will give up the position of video assistant referee (VAR), ending his 28-year career. Recently, on Sky Sports' "The Overlap Fan Debate" program, Dean talked about his relationship with the famous Premier League coaches Ferguson and Wenger. He said that his relationship with the legendary Arsenal coach Wenger is very cold.

Dean said: "I never got on with Wenger. I don't know why, I don't know if it was because every time I officiated their games, they lost. Every time I went to Arsenal, something didn't feel right. I spoke to some people who used to work there and are now retired, and they said as soon as the fixtures came out on Monday, they knew it was When I was officiating, he would immediately say: ‘We have no chance.’ He is the most difficult one to deal with.”

It is worth mentioning that Dean is nicknamed the “North London Sniper” in the Premier League, mainly because he is often questioned by fans when he officiates Arsenal (North London team) games, and Arsenal fans think he is “sniping” Arsenal.

"There is a rumor about Ferguson that he would always rush in and berate the referee, but he never did. He said he just said it to be on TV, but he almost never entered the referee's dressing room. The way he spoke on TV made it seem like he did come in and reprimanded, but the two of them (Wenger and Ferguson) are completely different."

Since the introduction of VAR in the Premier League, referees have been widely criticized. Dean, 57, is worried about the level of enforcement in the top flight.

Dean said: "The list of Premier League referees is not the strongest in history. If you take away the four top referees, we will be very difficult. If you remove from this group our top three referees according to FIFA and UEFA standards - Anthony Taylor, Michael Oliver and Chris Kavanagh, it will be very difficult for them to find some 'more weighty' referees who can referee those major games."