David Coote, one of the Premier League’s most experienced officials, has been suspended after footage appearing to show him voicing a foul-mouthed criticism of former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and the club appeared on social media.
Two videos were shared allegedly capturing Coote, 42, calling Klopp “f***ing arrogant” and a “German c***”.
We explain what has happened and the context to Coote’s alleged comments.
Who is David Coote?
Coote, 42, is one of the Premier League’s most experienced referees.
He began his career in his home county of Nottinghamshire and progressed to Conference North, the sixth tier of the English game, before being promoted to the Football League’s list of referees as an assistant in 2010.
He was appointed as a full-time Championship referee in 2016, before being added to the Premier League list two years later. His first top-flight game had been in the 2017-18 season, a 1-0 West Bromwich Albion victory over Newcastle United.
According to his LinkedIn page, Coote is based in Newark and has worked helping develop refereeing talent with the Football Association. In his profile, he says he has “a proven track record and passion for developing people and installing professionalism and confidence in a team ethos that brings successful delivery”.
What has happened?
On Monday afternoon, footage circulated purporting to show Coote in conversation with at least two men. During the course of two videos, seemingly filmed on a mobile phone, Coote is seen denigrating Klopp and Liverpool.
It is unclear if the footage is legitimate or when it was filmed, but the content is now the subject of an investigation by PGMOL, the body responsible for refereeing in English football.
A source close to PGMOL, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Athletic that the referee is not disputing that it is him in the video.
A PGMOL statement read: “David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete.”
The first video, spanning a minute, appears to show Coote being asked for his opinion on Liverpool’s performance in an unspecified game when he was fourth official, to which he replies: “Liverpool were s***.”
He is then asked for his view on Klopp, Liverpool’s then manager. He replies: “C***.”
After the other men in the video laugh, one asks why he has that view. Coote says: “Aside from having a right pop at me when I refereed them against Burnley in lockdown.
“Then he accused me of lying and then just had a right f***ing pop at me. I’ve got no interest in speaking to someone who’s f***ing arrogant. I do my best not to speak to him. (James) Milner’s alright. I get on with Milner.”
Coote then holds up a mobile phone showing him acting as the fourth official in a Liverpool game, standing next to Milner and Klopp and wearing a mask.
“You can see me there with a mask on. Social distancing — 10 metres apart. But my God, German c***, f*** me.”
A second, shorter video stresses the importance of the first clip not being shared.
What happened in the Burnley game referenced in the video?
The incident in question appears to refer to Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Burnley in July 2020 — the match where the eventual league winners lost their 100 per cent home record. In the second half, Coote waved away a strong penalty appeal from Liverpool after Burnley’s Erik Pieters dispossessed Liverpool’s Andy Robertson in the Burnley penalty area. The incident was referred to the VAR, who stuck with Coote’s on-field decision.
“David Coote thinks he gets a nick on the ball, and that’s why it changes direction,” said former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher on Sky Sports’ Ref Watch. “What I would say is this is a very tough decision.
“I don’t think the referee can be sure he doesn’t touch the ball, therefore he can’t give a penalty,” Klopp said after the game. “When VAR looks at it, this is definitely not a clear and obvious error because people will definitely debate it. It’s a difficult call, but I would go no penalty.”
After Coote had blown for full-time, he was approached by Robertson and Klopp on the pitch and fielded their complaints.
Klopp and Robertson with Coote in July 2020 (Phil Noble/Pool via Getty Images)
Klopp later reflected on Coote’s performance in his post-match press conference.
“We didn’t close the game, and they took their moment,” Klopp said. “It feels like we lost a game; we have to look after the game better. We were angry with the referee, but we have to criticise ourselves first for not finishing the game.”
Has Coote been involved in any other controversies involving Liverpool?
In October of that year, Coote was the video assistant referee (VAR) when Jordan Pickford’s high challenge on Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk forced the defender out of the game in the sixth minute.
As a result of the tackle, Van Dijk ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season and the delayed Euro 2020 tournament. While a penalty could not have been awarded because the Dutchman was pictured offside, Coote did not tell on-field referee Michael Oliver to go to the video monitor to look at a potential red card for Pickford.
Pickford’s challenge on Van Dijk in 2020 (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
“It was a clear penalty I saw and then we saw the flag went up, I thought they would still look at the foul, but that didn’t happen,” said Klopp. “I don’t want to say Jordan Pickford wanted to do it, but it is not a challenge a goalie can do in the box.”
Coote was also involved in a controversial refereeing decision involving Liverpool last December when Klopp’s side were denied a penalty after Martin Odegaard was pictured handling the ball inside the Arsenal 18-yard box. Howard Webb, the head of the PGMOL, later said that referee Chris Kavanagh and the VAR, Coote, were wrong not to award a penalty.
How high-profile is Coote?
The biggest match of Coote’s career was Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the 2023 Carabao Cup final. United opened the scoring on 33 minutes with the first of two quickfire goals as Casemiro scored a header from a Luke Shaw cross. He was deemed to have been played onside after a VAR check. Manchester United doubled their lead six minutes later thanks to Marcus Rashford.
In the build-up to that game, Coote was mistakenly labelled a Manchester United fan as an image online claimed to show Coote’s Facebook profile, with photos of Old Trafford featuring prominently. This image was proven to be a hoax, and PGMOL were widely reported to have confirmed earlier this year that Coote supports League Two club Notts County.
Last month, he officiated West Ham’s 2-1 win over United, which proved to be Erik ten Hag’s last game in charge. After being asked to consult the pitchside monitor by the VAR, he awarded West Ham a controversial penalty in second-half added time for a foul made on Danny Ings. The spot kick was dispatched by Jarrod Bowen.
Coote was last in action on Saturday evening, taking Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Aston Villa at Anfield.
(Top photo: Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
