West Ham fan Ethan Webster has set up an online petition to have Mike Dean relieved of his Premier League match official duties.
The online petition reads: “The guy clearly doesn’t understand the game anymore. Soucek red card was embarrassing, as was his performance against Southampton It’s always all about him, will ruin the game if he’s allowed to keep reffing.”
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has suggested that Mike Dean and Lee Mason could both be removed temporarily from officiating Southampton’s games after a similar mistake on a red card decision which led to their 9-0 defeat.
Assessing the situation and the options available to PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) General Manager Mike Riley, Clattenburg said:
“PGMOL chief Mike Riley has two options: he can continue to let Dean and Mason take charge of Saints matches, or he can let the situation die down by keeping them away for a while. I expect Riley will opt for the latter. He will want to avoid conflict and sidelining Dean and Mason for Southampton games will make life much easier.”
More pressure will come on Mike Riley after tonight’s latest farce with his partner in crime.
You can sign the online petition at http://chng.it/SKrLzh2G
ClaretandHugh says: We don’t as a rule do this sort of stuff but enough is enough in the case of Mike Dean and we feel we have to join this petition and urge you to do the same. And should the appeal be upheld on Soucek then it really will be time for the FA to look seriously at the man’s position.
I assume Mike Dean sent off Soucek for “violent conduct”. We are talking here about a player who has never been sent off and has anyone noticed him to square up to anyone in all the matches he’s played for West Ham. Violence is not in his nature and if the card is not rescinded, I’m not sure what it says about the FA. The whole country, bar Chris Sutton, feels that this is an injustice. But then, who’s Chris Sutton?