Mike Dean will take charge of the FA Cup tie between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa on Sunday, despite the controversy over his decision to send off West Ham United’s Sofiane Feghouli for a challenge on Manchester United’s Phil Jones.
The referees list for the cup games was drawn up before Monday’s match at the London Stadium, when Dean dismissed Feghouli in the 15th minute. The West Ham player was desperately unlucky and his manager, Slaven Bilic, suggested that if anybody was to have been sent off following the flashpoint it should have been Jones. West Ham ended up losing 2-0 and have appealed against the red card. A Football Association commission is expected to rule on that on Wednesday.
There are no plans to demote Dean for the cup tie at White Hart Lane, although he could, in theory, still face censure in the Premier League, as the panel has yet to assign referees for the next round of fixtures.
It is understood the view at the referees’ body, the PGMOL, is that Dean erred in dismissing Feghouli but there has also been a degree of understanding as to how he reached the decision. Dean saw a high foot, a shuddering impact and Jones’s pained reaction – all at speed from one angle.
Dean has refereed Tottenham three times previously this season – all of them in the league – and he has sent off an opposition player on each occasion. He has dismissed Sunderland’s Adnan Januzaj, West Ham’s Winston Reid and Southampton’s Nathan Redmond.
