Referee David Coote reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Brentford, at White Hart Lane Stadium in London, England, Wednesday , Jan 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland, File)
English referee David Coote was sacked with ‘immediate effect’ by the England referees’ body PGMOL following investigation.
“Following the conclusion of a thorough investigation into David Coote’s conduct, his employment with PGMOL has been terminated today with immediate effect, the PGMOL said in a statement.
“David Coote’s actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable. Supporting David Coote continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare. David Coote has a right to appeal the decision to terminate his employment,” the body added.
🚨 Referee David Coote has been sacked, PGMOL confirms.
“Actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable. Supporting David Coote continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare”. pic.twitter.com/FW8g2H2la0
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 9, 2024
Last month, Coote, who allegedly used derogatory language against Liverpool and their then manager Jurgen Klopp, was suspended by the PGMOL.
In an unverified video which surfaced on social media where a person alleged to be Coote said about Klopp, “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*****g pop at me. I’ve got no interest at speaking to someone who’s f*****g arrogant. So I do my best not to speak to him … My God, German c**t, f**k me.”
The video in question seemed to refer to a Premier League game that Coote refereed between Liverpool and Burnley in July 2020, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Klopp publicly criticised Coote after the match, accusing him of not penalising tackles made on Liverpool’s players.
Things went from bad to worse when UEFA appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to evaluate whether he had violated their disciplinary regulations.
This came after The Sun had published a video that the newspaper said showed Coote appearing to snort white powder during his time working as a match official at Euro 2024. This new video was allegedly taken on July 6, a day after the France vs Portugal match in the Euro 2024 quarter-final in Germany in which Coote had been a support VAR official, according to The Sun.
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