Who is David Coote? Premier League referee suspended by PGMOL over alleged anti-Liverpool video

A lot is going on with Premier League referee David Coote, who has been suspended with immediate effect by PGMOL after a video allegedly showed him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and the club’s former manager, Jurgen Klopp. The video, which came into the spotlight, appears to be a few years old, dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was posted on X and seems to feature Coote talking to a man while sitting on a sofa, where he is heard commenting on Liverpool and Klopp. Since the news broke, discussions have been widespread about this experienced referee, who has been involved with the Premier League for a long time, most often as a Video Assistant Referee. He has also been involved in many Liverpool games.

Regarding the suspension, a statement from PGMOL said, “David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete.” Breaking down the video, it appears to have been filmed the evening after a Liverpool game, with the other man asking, “What did you think of the Liverpool game earlier?” Coote allegedly made derogatory comments in the video, and now, years later, he has been suspended.

Born in Nottinghamshire, David Coote had previously officiated in the Football League. Slowly but steadily, he started getting bigger games. He made his Premier League debut in 2018, in a match between Newcastle and West Brom. He also has experience officiating in two finals. The first was the League One playoff final in 2014 between Leyton Orient and Rotherham, and the second was the 2023 EFL Cup final between Manchester United and Newcastle.

David Coote referee stats

Season	Matches Officiated	Yellow Cards per Match	Fouls per Match
2023/24	16	5.19	24.69
2024/25 (Before Suspension)	6	5.17	24