One English official is set to hit a significant milestone this weekend as he takes charge of Burnley against Spurs – with 99 red cards to his name
Referee Mike Dean is just one red card away from brandishing his 100th in Premier League and it could happen this weekend as he presides over Burnley vs Tottenham at Turf Moor.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have one of the best disciplinary records in the division this season thus far, with 35 yellow cards and one sending off – Jan Vertonghen, who received his marching orders for a second caution in December’s 4-2 defeat against Arsenal.
Burnley, meanwhile, have one of the worst disciplinary records, with their players picking up 54 yellow cards so far. Only one player has been sent off though and that was Robbie Brady against Huddersfield Town in January.
Wirral-born official Dean will be the first Premier League referee to reach a century of dismissals should he decide to send off a player in Saturday’s clash, with the likes of Martin Atkinson next in line with 58 red cards to his name.
Dean has shown no mercy this campaign, having already awarded nine red cards in just 20 fixtures – which is four more than other top-flight official. He most recently showed a second yellow to Huddersfield’s Christopher Schindler against Burnley in January.
Chelsea and Manchester City are the clubs that he has punished the most in his career, handing each side nine red cards each. Additionally, Chelsea vs Man City is the fixture where Dean has officiated the most and shown the most reds (four).
Those facts must have been playing on his mind when he ran the rule over their game at the Etihad in February, when he showed just three yellow cards in total.
| Team | Sent off By Dean* |
|---|---|
| Chelsea | 9 |
| Manchester City | 9 |
| Newcastle United | 7 |
| Arsenal | 6 |
| Stoke City | 5 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 5 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 5 |
*Second yellow cards included.
Dean made his Premier League refereeing debut in the 2000-01 season when he officiated Leicester City’s clash with Southampton.
His refereeing career has involved some controversial moments, recently mouthing “off you pop” after sending off Brighton defender Lewis Dunk at the Vitality Stadium in December as well as handing a second yellow card to the wrong Brighton player.
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Dean was demoted to the Championship in December 2017 for a weekend following a string of controversial Premier League decisions, such as deciding to dismiss Ross Barkley in the Merseyside Derby.
He has never sent off a player more than two times, however, with just five Premier League players having been honoured with a two-time Dean red card. Of those currently active, it is only Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny who has been sent off by Dean more than once.
| Player | Sent off By Dean |
|---|---|
| Andrew Cole | 2 |
| Richard Dunne | 2 |
| Laurent Koscielny | 2 |
| Fernando Torres | 2 |
| Mike Williamson | 2 |
