A referee’s greatest asset is credibility and acceptance. Once both have been lost, they can hardly be restored. This is now being felt by English Premier League referee David Coote, who has recently seriously damaged his reputation and professionalism with his behavior.
On Monday, the English referees’ association PGMOL announced that it had terminated Coote’s employment relationship “with immediate effect.” After completing a thorough investigation, the 42-year-old’s actions were viewed as a “serious violation of the terms of his employment contract and his position was deemed untenable,” the statement said. There has so far been no comment from Coote on this decision. In principle, he has the right to appeal against the termination without notice.
Two videos released last November led to Coote’s ouster. On one you can see Coote apparently insulting Liverpool FC and coach Jürgen Klopp, who worked there until the end of the preseason, in an obscene manner: He described Liverpool as “shit” and Klopp as a “German c***” and “damn arrogant”. And the other clip places the referee under suspicion of drug use: the day after his role as assistant video referee at the European Championship quarter-finals between France and Portugal, he is said to have pulled a white powder through his nose. The clips led to Coote’s suspension and prompted investigations by the PGMOL, England’s Football Association (FA) and European governing body Uefa.
The allegations of match-fixing are “false and defamatory,” says Coote
Separately, the FA recently opened an investigation into Coote to look into possible match-fixing. The matter was said to be an “urgent matter”. The tabloid printed around two weeks after the aforementioned videos became known Sun At the end of November, excerpts from a chat history of Coote and another person. The referee is quoted as saying: “I hope you bet on it as discussed.” This refers to a yellow card given by Coote to Leeds United’s Ezgjan Alioski in the 18th minute of the two-league match against West Bromwich in October 2019.
Coote immediately responded to the accusation of match-fixing in his only public statement to date. He rejected all allegations in this regard as “false and defamatory decisions”. As a referee, he always upheld the “integrity of football and refereed games impartially and to the best of his knowledge and belief”. Whatever problems he may have had in his private life, they “never influenced his decisions on the field,” emphasized Coote. The sports magazine Athletic reported that Coote had “hit hard times”: his mother died last year and his uncle was diagnosed with motor nervous system disease. The PGMOL said in its own letter on Monday that support for Coote was important and that it remained committed to his welfare.
Until the incidents mentioned, Coote was hardly noticed in top football. The referee has officiated in the Premier League since the 2017/18 season and has officiated a total of 112 games. His most important match was certainly the League Cup final between Manchester United and Newcastle United in February 2023. Coote did not take part in international competitions or tournaments as the main referee. Former Premier League referee Peter Walton once described him in the Times as “Captain Reasonable”, who sometimes seems over-nervous. Walton said he was “rarely seen laughing with players”. The PGMOL expulsion may now mark the end of David Coote’s career as a professional referee.
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