MIKE DEAN RUBBISHES VAR DECISION IN AN EYE OPENING INTERVIEW AS HE CLAIMS NEWCASTLE UNITED HAS BEEN CHEATED VS MANCHESTER UNITED, THE FANS ARE GOING WILD

In a stunning Boxing Day turn of events, legendary former official Mike Dean has sent the footballing world into a frenzy by claiming Newcastle United were “cheated” out of a result against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The match, which saw Ruben Amorim’s side scrape a 1-0 victory, was dominated by a second-half VAR controversy that Dean has now branded a “stain on the integrity of the game.”
​The flashpoint occurred in the 64th minute when a goal-bound shot from Newcastle’s Fabian Schär clearly struck the arm of Lisandro Martínez inside the area. Despite the ball appearing to be blocked by an outstretched arm, the on-field decision of “no penalty” was upheld by VAR. The official explanation provided to the Premier League Match Centre cited “mutual contact” between Martínez and Newcastle’s Malick Thiaw as the reason for the non-intervention—an explanation Mike Dean has publicly rubbished.
​”I’ve seen some bad ones, but this is right up there,” Dean fumed during an eye-opening post-match analysis. “To suggest that wrestling with another player gives you a free pass to handle the ball in the six-yard box is absolute nonsense. Newcastle have been cheated here, plain and simple. It’s a stonewall penalty, and the VAR has bottled the big call at Old Trafford yet again.”
​The fallout has caused “total drama” across social media, with Newcastle fans going wild over the perceived injustice. The Magpies dominated the second period, racking up 66% possession and 16 shots, but left Manchester empty-handed due to what Dean calls a “refereeing disaster.” Tyneside supporters have flooded X (formerly Twitter) with Dean’s quotes, using them as proof of a long-standing bias in favor of the “Big Six” clubs during festive fixtures.
​As the PGMOL prepares for another wave of intense scrutiny, Dean’s explosive honesty has provided the ultimate talking point of the holiday season. For Newcastle, the two points lost could prove fatal in a tightly packed European race, while for Manchester United, the victory is overshadowed by a decision that many—including one of the game’s most famous referees—believe should never have stood.