Mike Dean, a retired official, has questioned Sunny Singh Gill’s decision to sign autographs at halftime during his English top flight debut. The new referee presided over Crystal Palace’s 1-1 draw with Luton Town on Saturday.
Singh Gill made history at Selhurst Park by becoming the first referee of British South Asian heritage to officiate a Premier League match. For the most part, the game went well, but he still irritated Dean.
Mike Dean is unhappy with Sunny Singh Gill.
“It’s just bang out of order”
The 55-year-old, who spent 22 years in charge of England’s top flight, stated his case during a Sky Sports Gillette Soccer Labs interview (via The Athletic). Dean was asked if he had ever signed autographs during his career, and he responded:
“I did, after approximately 300 games! I don’t see the point; he’s on the verge of losing everything.
“If something happens in the second half, as is occasionally the case with refereeing, you do not sign autographs. Maybe when you’re warming up before the game, but not during halftime when you have a game to play. It’s just completely out of sequence.
A busy half-time…✍️
Sunny Singh Gill is the first British South Asian to referee in the Premier League 👏 pic.twitter.com/dxjRZddLr3
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 9, 2024
Jean-Philippe Mateta opened the scoring for the home team after only 11 minutes, and the Eagles led at halftime. In the second half, it appeared that they were set to take all three points as Luton failed to gain any real impetus.
However, with only seconds remaining, former Palace star Andros Townsend swung in a beautiful cross, and Cauley Woodrow headed in the equaliser. This 96th-minute effort brought the game to a 1-1 draw.
Glasner praises Singh Gill for “a good performance” at Palace.
Fortunately for Singh Gill, he made it through the game without incident, and his willingness to sign autographs at halftime did not come back to bother him. In reality, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner commended the referee’s performance after the game, saying:
“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,” he added. “It was not difficult to whistle, and there were no unusual occurrences. It was good and combative, but not violent, so a nice performance, and congratulations to the referee on his debut in the Premier League.”
According to The Athletic, Singh Gill has been officiating since he was 17. In April 2021, he and his brother Bhupinder became the first British South Asian tandem to officiate in the same Championship match, when Bristol City faced Nottingham Forest.
He has primarily officiated in the lower leagues this season. According to WhoScored, he has taken charge of eight League Two games, 11 League One games, nine Championship games, and two League Cup matches, issuing six red cards and 102 yellow cards throughout that time.
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