June 18 – Former Premier League referee David Coote’s spectacular fall from grace has taken another turn for the worse, with the Football Association now charging him over comments he made about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in July 2020. Because apparently, his career wasn’t quite dead enough already.
“It’s alleged that the referee acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words contrary to FA Rule E3.1,” the FA said.
“It’s further alleged that this constitutes an ‘Aggravated Breach,’ which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference – whether express or implied – to nationality.”
Coote was already sacked by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in November 2024 after a video emerged on social media where he offered his unfiltered thoughts about the German tactician.
In the footage that effectively ended his career, Coote was asked about a Liverpool performance, to which he replied: “Liverpool were s—.”
The referee was then asked about Klopp specifically, prompting this masterclass in professional conduct: “C—, absolute c—.”
“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—ing pop at me. And I’ve got no interest in speaking to somebody as f—ing arrogant. So I do my best not to speak to him. [James] Milner’s all right.”
Coote has also been banned by UEFA until June 30, 2026, following an investigation into another video which appeared to show him snorting white powder in a hotel during Euro 2024 while serving as a VAR official in Paris.
UEFA banned him from any refereeing activity for violating the “basic rules of decent conduct” and bringing “the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute.”
Coote had reached the pinnacle of English refereeing – Premier League matches, and European competitions, however sharing his unvarnished opinions about one of the world’s most respected managers was the end of the road.
The fact that it happened in July 2020 and only emerged years later suggests someone was sitting on this footage, waiting for the right moment to detonate Coote’s career.
But the real irony about the whole saga is that referees deal with far worse abuse from players, managers, and fans every single weekend.
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