Premier League ‘to lose two more big-name referees’ this summer after Mike Dean retirement

Mike Dean discusses the time he ‘celebrated’ a Spurs goal

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The Premier League will reportedly lose experienced referees Martin Atkinson and Jon Moss at the end of the season, with the duo set to retire and take up jobs with Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). Mike Dean also announced his impending retirement last month, with a generational shift in match officiating gradually unfolding. 

The standard of refereeing has been a hot topic over the past couple of seasons, with many fans unhappy about inconsistent calls. VAR seems to have introduced added scrutiny in that regard, with the speed of play no longer an adequate excuse for overlooking an incident’s finer details. 

According to The Telegraph, 51-year-old duo Atkinson and Moss are set to call time on their Premier League refereeing careers at the end of the season. Andre Mariner, Graham Scott and Kevin Friend are also over 50, and could well follow over the coming years.

It remains to be seen how a prospective generational shift in refereeing impacts Premier League football. The division’s authorities are planning significant changes to the pathway that sees match officials advance to the elite level in the hope of boosting the overall standard. 

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Atkinson’s new role with PGMOL will be to coach Select Group 1 referees, i.e. the current pool of officials for top-flight matches. Moss, meanwhile, will manage the group.

Moss has been a Premier League referee since 2010 while Atkinson first took charge of a top-flight match 17 years ago. Fellow departee Mike Dean has over 550 Premier League games on his CV, with the division set to lose three of their most experienced men in the middle. 

A group of 22 different referees have taken charge of Premier League matches at some point this campaign. Fans could expect to see more of Jarred Gillett, Michael Salisbury, Tony Harrington and John Brooks after the trio’s departure, with all four of them promoted to Select Group 1 last summer. 

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Unlike Atkinson and Moss, Dean is not set to take up a role with PGMOL and is instead touted to move into television. The Wirral-born ref has become something of a cult figure since taking charge of his first Premier League match way back in 2000. 

“Times have moved on, referees are getting older, I am not getting as fit as I used to be, so things have got to change,” Dean told Sky Sports, “I have made the decision myself, I have gone out on my terms which is what I wanted to do and nobody else’s terms which is good.

“I will miss when the season starts next season and not walking out to referee a game, but I have had a good innings with 22 years. It is time to move on and see what is in the future. Maybe we don’t know yet, but we will see.

“Contrary to reports and speculation, I have been offered no VAR role at all, that is just word of mouth I think. It could be there if I wanted to go for it, but I don’t know yet. I need to keep my options open and see what is available.”

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