Mike Dean is said to be Kazuki Ito in the Premier League

DBasia.news – The name Kazuki Ito is certainly familiar to Winning Eleven or Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) game players. This fictional figure seemed to have been present in the 2020-2021 Premier League in Mike Dean.

Ito is one of the legendary referees in PES history. He is known to be very strict.

He was firm, Ito could easily issue a red card even for relatively minor offenses. His leadership is a scourge for PES players and lovers.

Whether he knows it or not, Mike Dean seemed to be inspired by the figure of Ito. He became the referee who issued the most red cards throughout the Premier League title this season.

Reporting from Squawka, Dean was recorded to have sent players off the field six times. Four of them were even straight red cards.

The six players who were sent off by Dean were Kieran Gibbs (West Brom), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Joao Moutinho (Wolverhampton), Alex Jankewitz (Southampton), Jan Bednarek (Southampton), and Tomas Soucek (West Ham United).

Soucek was Dean’s newest victim. The 25 year old player was sent off when West Ham drew a goalless draw against Fulham on Sunday (7/2) am, WIB.

Ironically, Soucek’s red card caused controversy for an unspecific reason. The player is considered to have elbowed Aleksandar Mitrovic in the face in a set piece situation.

Dean took out a red card after checking VAR. However, from reruns, Soucek seemed to have accidentally elbowed him.

“I spoke with Aleksandar Mitrovic during and after the match. He told me that our duel was fair, and I thank him for that,” Soucek stated.

“Unfortunately, the referee has a different opinion. Anyone who knows me knows I will never hurt another player.”

Dean’s decision to kick out Soucek also made many people wonder. Previously, he was also considered to have made the wrong decision when he red carded Jan Bednarek in the Manchester United match against Southampton.

West Ham plans to appeal to annul Soucek’s red card. A similar attempt was made by Southampton and succeeded in overturning Bednarek’s sentence.

Until now, Dean’s reputation may not be as bad as Ito’s figure in the eyes of PES game lovers. However, a number of controversial decisions were made that could threaten his career.