David Coote sacked as PGMOL issue statement to explain axing Premier League ref | Football | Sport
The PGMOL has sacked Premier League referee David Coote, determining his position to be ‘untenable’ after a month-long investigation.
Coote was suspended on November 11 after the emergence of an unverified video which allegedly showed him making X-rated remarks about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
The man in the video referred to Klopp as a ‘German c***’ and said: “I have no interest in speaking to someone who is f***ing arrogant”. They also described a Liverpool performance as ‘s***’. Follow-up footage then showed the man in the video saying: “Just to be clear, that f***ing last video cannot go anywhere, seriously.”
Another investigation was opened two days later following the publication of a video allegedly showing Coote sniffing what appeared to be white powder. The Sun newspaper said that it dates from Euro 2024, where Coote was a referee.
Having completed their probe, the PGMOL released the following statement on Monday: “Following the conclusion of a thorough investigation into David Coote’s conduct, his employment with PGMOL has been terminated today with immediate effect.
“David Coote’s actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable.
“Supporting David Coote continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare. David Coote has a right to appeal the decision to terminate his employment.”
Shortly after Coote was first suspended by the PGMOL, the axed official was also stood down by European football governing body UEFA. The FA, meanwhile, are conducting their own investigation into the Klopp comments.
A booking given by Coote to then-Leeds United player Ezgjan Alioski in a 2019 Championship match is also being looked into. The Sun claim that Coote texted a friend after the match: “I hope you backed as discussed.”
But Coote denies the allegations, saying: “I strongly refute these false and defamatory allegations. Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision-making on the field. I have always held the integrity of the game in the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the best of my ability.”
Nottinghamshire-born Coote, 42, became a Football League referee in 2010 and first took charge of a top-flight game eight years later. He was also a FIFA-listed referee between September 2020 and March 2022.
