Mike Dean takes aim at ‘bang out of order’ Premier League referee over viral fan clip

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has hit out at Sunny Singh Gill for signing autographs at half time while taking charge of his maiden top-flight fixture on Saturday.

Singh Gill became the first referee of British South Asian heritage to take charge of a Premier League match during Saturday’s draw between Crystal Palace and Luton Town.

The game ended 1-1 when Luton’s Cauley Woodrow scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time, cancelling out Jean-Philippe Mateta’s 11th-minute opener.

Singh Gill was spotted signing autographs for young fans before heading down the tunnel at half time at Selhurst Park, raising a debate over whether referees should court public attention.

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Dean, who retired at the end of the 2021/22 season after more than two decades as an official, has taken a dim view of Singh Gill’s decision to stop to sign autographs at the interval at Selhurst Park.

Asked during an appearance on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday programme if he signed autographs during his career, Dean said: “I did, after about 300 games!

“I don’t see the point, he’s on a hiding to nothing now.

“If something happens in the second half, which I’ll guarantee the way refereeing goes sometimes, but you don’t sign autographs.

“Maybe when you’re warming up before the game but not at half time when you’ve got a game to do.

“It’s just bang out of order.”

Oliver Glasner, the Crystal Palace manager, congratulated Singh Gill after the match and praised his performance.

He said: “It was a good performance.

“It’s always a good performance for a referee if he doesn’t decide the game for one of the teams and it was a good game. It was not too difficult to whistle, there were no strange situations.

“It was good and aggressive, but not brutal so a good performance and congratulations to the referee for his first game in the Premier League.”

Singh Gill’s maiden Premier League fixture made him the seventh referee outside the select group of Professional Game Match Official Limited (PGMOL) officials to take charge of a top-flight match this season, following in the footsteps of Sam Allison, Sam Barrott, Bobby Madley, Josh Smith, Rebecca Welch and Lewis Smith.

Allison became the first black official to oversee a Premier League fixture since Uriah Rennie in 2008 when he took charge of Luton’s 3-2 victory over Sheffield United on Boxing Day.

That came three days after Welch became the first female referee in Premier League history, taking the whistle for Burnley’s 2-0 win over Fulham.

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