Mike Dean stands firm as Premier League ref slammed after Leicester vs Aston Villa controversy
Leicester City thought they had equalised during their Premier League match against Aston Villa only for referee David Coote to cut the Foxes’ celebrations short
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean leapt to the defence of current top-flight official David Coote after his role in a disallowed goal for Leicester City.
Leicester, chasing their first win in the league since promotion, trailed 1-0 to Aston Villa when Jamie Vardy thought he had equalised. However, the ball struck Coote during the build-up, forcing the referee to whistle.
“Get out the way, because you know where the ball’s going,” Morrison said. “As a referee, just get out the way – this is why referees don’t play football because Winks made that reverse pass and he’s looking and he can’t see it.
“[It’s a] bad decision from Coote. I like him as a referee, it’s the letter of the law and he made the right decision, but tell these Leicester fans… because the Leicester fans aren’t happy. I don’t think it’s the right rules but we move on.
Dean was given the chance to make his case, though, and did just that. “It’s unlucky, but players should not pass the ball to the referee, should they? There’s enough space,” he said, before adding that the goal would not have stood because Coote blew his whistle before Vardy beat Emi Martinez.
A frustrating few minutes for the Foxes saw them fall further behind moments later. Amadou Onana had given Villa a half-time lead, which was later doubled by Jhon Duran.
Dean, who was a mainstay in the Premier League, is now a fixture on Soccer Saturday. After panelist and former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison took aim at Coote, Dean attempted to set the record straight.
Leicester’s game against Aston Villa wasn’t the only Premier League fixture to feature refereeing controversy. In the day’s early fixture, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away after a comparable offence from Brighton’s Joao Pedro earlier in the game went unpunished.
“I thought it was a bit harsh for us,” Arsenal star Bukayo Saka said. Arsenal led 1-0 when the red card arrived, but a Joao Pedro strike ensured the game ended all-square.
