Premier League referee Mike Dean has spoken out about the death threats he received after sending off West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek last year.The 53-year-old is set to retire at the end of the season after being an official for the past 22 years.
Dean is one of the most famous referees to ever grace the English top flight and has been at the heart of several iconic Premier League moments.However, the horrible side of refereeing has taken its toll on Dean previously.
He showed Hammers midfielder, Soucek, a red card last season for elbowing Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic in the face – but the dismissal was questionable and successfully appealed by West Ham.But before the red card was rescinded, the referee received a torrent of abuse.
He told Football Focus: “My daughter got death threats. They were saying they knew where we lived and they were going to petrol bomb the house.
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