Premier League referee Coote sacked after X-rated Klopp diatribe
Premier League referee David Coote has been sacked by officials’ body PGMOL after an investigation found him to be “in serious breach” of his contract.
It comes four weeks after he was suspended following the emergence of a video in which Coote made highly derogatory remarks about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Days later further footage appearing to show Coote sniffing a white powder while in Germany working at Euro 2024, sparked a probe by European governing body Uefa.
“Following the conclusion of a thorough investigation into David Coote’s conduct, his employment with PGMOL has been terminated today with immediate effect,” the company said.
“David Coote’s actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable.”
PGMOL added that Coote was entitled to appeal the decision, which – if upheld – leaves his career as a referee in tatters.
The refs’ body also vowed to support the 42-year-old, amid heightened concern for his wellbeing following the flurry of allegations about his conduct.
“Supporting David Coote continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare,” it said.
In the video which triggered PGMOL’s investigation, Coote describes Liverpool as “s***” and calls Klopp “f****** arrogant” and a “German c***”.
Coote remains the subject of the Uefa investigation as well as two separate probes by the Football Association.
One relates to his apparent use of “German” as a pejorative term when deriding Klopp, which would likely be deemed an aggravated breach of FA rules.
The other FA investigation centres on allegations published in The Sun newspaper that Coote discussed spot-fixing in a 2019 Championship fixture.
He has strenuously denied that claim, which he called “false and defamatory”. He added: “Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision-making on the field.”