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Referee-turned-pundit Mike Dean says he will not have any issue in telling former colleague Simon Hooper how badly he got things wrong by not giving Wolves a penalty in their defeat at Manchester United on Monday. Hooper and VAR officials Michael Salisbury and Richard West have been stood down for this weekend by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) boss Howard Webb after they collectively failed to award Gary O’Neil’s side what looked like a blatant spot-kick in added time of the 1-0 loss at Old Trafford. Dean quit his role as a dedicated VAR and coach of up and coming officials in the summer in order to move into a role as a pundit on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday. And the 55-year-old, who made his debut on the show last week, has warned his former colleagues that he “won’t be sitting on the fence” when it comes to discussing controversial decisions. “I’ve had a chat with a few of the referees and made it clear that if they make a bad decision, I won’t be sitting on the fence or defending the indefensible and they were OK with that,” he told the PA news agency. “I want to be able to do the job properly and give proper insight. “Equally, I’ll be happy to highlight good decisions as it will be good to give refs some credit.” Dean was an on-field referee for 27 years – 22 of those in the Premier League – and was undoubtedly one of the biggest characters in the game, with his antics and exaggerated facial expressions prime content for online memes. His final year for the PGMOL was spent at Stockley Park as a dedicated VAR and he admits he did not get the same satisfaction. “For me refereeing was the best job in the world, and I felt lucky to be able to be paid for basically doing my hobby,” he said. “But after 27 years of refereeing, and 22 in the Premier League, I felt like I had done my time and wanted to start the next chapter of my life. “It didn’t take long for me to realise that being on VAR wasn’t for me. Having to travel down to London to then be stuck in a room, telling on-field referees whether their decisions were right or wrong didn’t give me the same enjoyment. “I spoke to Howard about this and luckily he supported me in my move away from the role. “I only ever tried to be the best referee I could be. I don’t shy away from the fact I did the job in a different way to some others, but this just came from my enjoyment of it. “I loved my career, seeing Premier League football every weekend from the best seat in the house. I got to referee some amazing games like Man City against QPR when they won the league in the last minute, and make some great mates.” Webb has had a tough induction to the top job at the PGMOL since taking over from Mike Riley in December but has been committed to making his officials accountable for their errors and also improved communication. Dean insists the former World Cup final official is the “best man for the job”. He added: “I have no doubt that Howard is the best man for the job, he has a real presence and is respected in the game. It didn’t take long for me to realise that being on VAR wasn’t for me Mike Dean “He’ll be in contact with Premier League managers this year and will have no problems being up front and honest with them – this communication should only help this season. “Premier League football and decisions in big games will always get attention, and it is the nature of being a referee that you will get criticised when you make mistakes just like players. “The difference for referees is that you will rarely get called out for refereeing a game well, or making good decisions. That’s why I’m not a fan of the idea of refs being interviewed after games, as they’d only want to be spoken to when they’ve made an error.” :: Mike Dean has a new role as the face of the Family & Friends Railcard. Research from Railcard.co.uk reveals that fans opting to travel by train to football matches can save over £50 per adult and child just by using the Family & Friends Railcard. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live England forward Rachel Daly among six World Cup stars shortlisted for PFA award Football rumours: Crystal Palace unhappy with Chelsea over bid for Michael Olise On this day 2009: Usain Bolt breaks WR for World Championship 100m gold in 9.58

England take on hosts Australia in Sydney in a World Cup semi-final on Wednesday 16 August, and know they face a tough test in stopping star player Sam Kerr. Despite the striker’s reputation, boss Sarina Wiegman believes simply nullifying her threat will not be enough to see the Lionesses through to a first-ever World Cup final. Captain Kerr is her country’s leading goal-scorer of either gender but has not yet started a match in the global showpiece after injuring her calf pre-tournament. Ahead of the crunch fixture, check out the facts and stats around England and Australia.

Paris Saint-Germain said defender Abdou Diallo is joining Qatari club Al-Arabi, adding to a rush of transfers to

Gary Sanchez hit a grand slam in a five-run first inning and Manny Machado added a two-run double in the second against struggling Jack Flaherty to help the San Diego Padres beat the AL-leading Baltimore Orioles 10-3 on Tuesday night

Thairo Estrada homered with one out in the sixth to break up a scoreless game, Wilmer Flores hit a two-run drive three batters later, and the San Francisco Giants came alive on offense to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-0

Rookie Bobby Miller tossed six innings of one-run ball and the Los Angeles Dodgers won their ninth straight game, beating the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 on Tuesday night in a matchup of NL division leaders

Ketel Marte had a two-run single and Tommy Pham added a go-ahead double in a five-run ninth inning, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies 8-5 on Tuesday night

Ty France lined a two-run single to center in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners rebounded from a blown-seven run lead to beat the Kansas City Royals 10-8

Former prisoners of war tell the BBC they were abused by Russian guards inside a detention facility.

Jason Delay hit a two-run double in a six-run seventh inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Mets 7-4

Alex Verdugo led off the game with a homer and the Boston Red Sox beat the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series

Matt Wallner hit a grand slam to cap a five-run sixth inning and the Minnesota Twins overshadowed another milestone homer by Miguel Cabrera in a 5-3 win against the Detroit Tigers