Ex-Premier League referee David Coote banned for 8 weeks over Klopp rant

Former Premier League referee David Coote has been handed an eight-week suspension and directed to complete a face-to-face education programme after making offensive remarks about ex-Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in a private video that was later widely shared on social media.  The incident, which led to his dismissal, was reviewed by an independent regulatory commission that announced the disciplinary action on Tuesday.

 

Coote accepted the Football Association’s charge of misconduct for using abusive and insulting language in a video reportedly recorded around July 2020. The footage, believed to have been taken via a mobile phone, showed Coote sharing personal opinions about Liverpool FC and Klopp in a conversation with an unidentified individual. 

 

  Coote faces consequences for his comments  

In the video, Coote referred to Liverpool with an expletive and used a derogatory term to describe Klopp, calling the German manager “arrogant” and accusing him of previously alleging that Coote had lied during a post-match exchange.

 

The FA deemed the remarks an "aggravated breach" of its rules, citing the inclusion of references, explicit or implied, to nationality. Coote was initially suspended, and after a formal investigation, he was terminated from his position in December by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), who stated his continued role was “untenable.”

 

In addition to this case, Coote had previously faced scrutiny following a report by The Sun, which claimed he discussed issuing a yellow card with a fan during a match. Coote denied the allegations, and the FA confirmed in June that no charges would be filed regarding that incident.

 

Meanwhile, UEFA has also opened an inquiry into Coote after a separate video, again published by The Sun, allegedly showed him using cocaine during this year’s European Championship.