Referee David Coote reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Brentford, at White Hart Lane Stadium in London, England, Wednesday , Jan 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland, File)
English football referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) on Monday suspended referee David Coote after a video surfaced on social media showing the official allegedly abusing Liverpool and their former coach Jurgen Klopp.
The unverified video shows a person alleged to be Coote saying, “Aside from having a right pop at me when I reffed them against Burnley in lockdown, then he accused me of lying and then just had a right f*****g pop at me. I’ve got no interest at speaking to someone who’s f*****g arrogant. So I do my best not to speak to him … My God, German c**t, f**k me.”
In a separate video, the person alleged to be Coote said, “Just to be clear, that last video can’t go anywhere, seriously.” To which the person recording the video said, “He’s a Premier League referee, let’s not ruin a bloke’s career. We’re not that bad.”
It is unclear when the video was filmed or of its authenticity.
David coote ladies and gentlemen pic.twitter.com/WDHc36a7Mn
— Josh (@Josh97LFC) November 11, 2024
The video in question seems to refer to a Premier League game that Coote refereed between Liverpool and Burnley in July 2020, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Klopp publicly criticised Coote after the match, accusing him of not penalising tackles made on Liverpool’s players.
“David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete,” PGMOL told Reuters.
Liverpool did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the matter.
Coote, 42, officiated Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday and has been a match official in the Premier League since 2018.
(With agency inputs)
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First uploaded on: 11-11-2024 at 22:18 IST
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