What really happened in the 19 minutes Mike Dean didn't blow his whistle? Nineteen minutes. That’s how long Mike Dean went at the start of a Premier League match without blowing his whistle. In his 23-year career as a top-flight referee, Merseyside-born Dean had built up a reputation for being a bit unorthodox. Whether it’s his over-enthusiastic arm signals while pointing to the penalty spot, or running with his arms aloft when his advantage led to a Mousa Dembele goal for Tottenham in 2015, Dean has become one of the most divisive figures in Premier League history. “There used to be games we used to have, as a laugh, we used to say, ‘Right, we’ll kick off now, right. See how long we can go without blowing a whistle.’” To some who were already aware of Dean’s unconventional, sometimes eccentric nature, the comment would not have come as a surprise. To others, including supporters on social media, the statement appeared to raise a more serious question: how could a refer...
