The English referees' association PGMOL has suspended David Coote. A video had surfaced on social media in which the referee made derogatory comments about Liverpool and his former coach Jürgen Klopp.
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- The English referee David Coote has been suspended until further notice. The reason is videos in which he makes derogatory comments about former Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp.
- In the short clips, which circulated on social media on Monday, Coote makes insulting comments about Klopp. He calls the former German coach "damn arrogant".
There is a lot of excitement on the island. David Coote is at the center of it. The 42-year-old was most recently in charge of Liverpool FC's 2:0 win against Aston Villa on Saturday. Coote is one of the most experienced referees in the Premier League and has been officiating matches in the top division since 2018.
Now a video - as yet unverified - has emerged on social media that casts the referee in a very poor light. The content of the footage most likely relates to a Premier League match between Liverpool and Burnley, which Coote officiated in July 2020.
The game ended 1:1 - which also ended Liverpool's 24-game winning streak at Anfield. Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp and his players had identified a scapegoat: David Coote. The referee was said to have been too lenient and allowed too many Burnley attacks to go through. They were also denied a clear penalty. After the final whistle, Klopp marched onto the pitch to confront Coote and his assistants.
Fierce statements
Klopp's anger may not have been entirely unjustified. At least Coote leaves no doubt in the video - presumably recorded in a private setting - what he thinks of the club and the coach at the time: "Liverpool was shit and Klopp was a fucking *** (here comes a swear word involving the female anatomy). Apart from the fact that he gave me a good thrashing when I was in charge of the game against Burnley during the ban, he accused me of lying and then gave me a good thrashing," said Coote. Klopp was simply "damn arrogant", he concluded.
The authenticity of the videos could not initially be verified. The responsible referee organization PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) announced that David Coote had been suspended until a comprehensive investigation had been completed. They will not comment on the ongoing proceedings.
Klopp and referee Coote at loggerheads on several occasions
Klopp had clashed with Coote several times during his time at Liverpool. Among other things, he accused the referee of making mistakes last season after Coote was used as a video assistant in Liverpool's match against Arsenal. Years earlier, Klopp had also complained about video assistant Coote in the Merseyside derby against Everton because he had failed to intervene in an alleged foul by Jordan Pickford on Virgil van Dijk.
