by Referee David Coote was sacked after a video emerged of him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp.
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) confirmed the termination of the 42-year-old Nottinghamshire official’s employment in a statement on Monday afternoon, saying a thorough investigation had concluded he had “seriously breached the terms of his employment contract”. . his position is considered untenable.”
“David Coote’s support remains important to us and we remain committed to his well-being,” the PGMOL statement continued.
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 – 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲
Following the completion of a thorough investigation into David Coote’s conduct, his employment with PGMOL has today been terminated with immediate effect.
David Coote’s actions were found to constitute a serious breach of the provisions of…
– PGMOL (@FA_PGMOL) December 9, 2024
“David Coote has the right to appeal the decision to terminate his employment.”
The video that sparked PGMOL’s investigation into Coote’s conduct first came to public attention on November 11.
In it, Coote is asked for his opinion on a Liverpool game where he was fourth official and describes it as “s***”.
He then describes Klopp as a “shit” and when asked why he feels that way, Coote says the German “had a real crack at me when I beat them against Burnley in lockdown” and accused him of lying.
“I have no interest in talking to someone who is damn arrogant, so I do my best not to talk to them,” Coote said.
Later in the video, Coote refers to Klopp again, this time as a “German bastard.”
The Football Association launched its own investigation into the video, which appeared to focus on the final comment and whether Coote’s reference to Klopp’s nationality constituted a serious breach of its misconduct rules. This investigation is ongoing.
The PGMOL investigation that led to Coote’s contract termination was also said to have viewed another video in which Coote appeared to be seen snorting a white powder, allegedly during Euro 2024, where he was one of the tournament’s VAR assistants .
The European football association UEFA has also appointed an ethics investigator to investigate the matter.
The FA is also separately investigating an allegation, vigorously denied by Coote, that he discussed the prospect of giving a Leeds player a yellow card in an online conversation with a fan before a game. The Sun claims that after Coote booked the player, he messaged the person and said: “I hope you have supported as discussed.”
The FA said it was investigating the allegation as an “urgent matter”.
Coote said: “I strongly reject these false and defamatory claims. Whatever problems I had in my personal life, they never influenced my decision-making on the ground. I have always given the integrity of the game the highest priority and officiated games impartially and to the best of my ability.”
PGMOL’s investigation did not address the allegations relating to Leeds’ yellow card.
The PA news agency has contacted referees union Prospect for comment.
