Disgraced referee David Coote hit with fresh ban – just months after he was sacked by the Premier League over leaked videos
Disgraced referee David Coote has been hit with another ban in the wake of the shocking leaked videos which lead to his dismissal by the Premier League.
Coote was sacked by the PGMOL, the referees’ body, in December after appearing in several leaked clips, including one in which he insulted former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. In another, he could be seen snorting a white powder.
The PGMOL found Coote’s actions made his position as a Premier League official ‘untenable’ and the organisation headed up by Howard Webb terminated his employment with immediate effect.
In a fresh blow to Coote, it was revealed on Friday morning that the official has been banned from ‘exercising any UEFA refereeing activity until 30 June 2026’.
UEFA claim the decision comes after Coote violated ‘the basic rules of decent conduct’ and brought ‘the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute’.
European football’s control, ethics and disciplinary body met last week and made the decision that Coote had violated their rules of conduct.
David Coote has been banned from ‘exercising any UEFA refereeing activity until 2026’
Coote was sacked by the Premier League over a series of leaked videos that emerged last year
Last month, a report from The Sun claimed that the 42-year-old could make a sensational return to football as a VAR instructor.
A source close to the former Premier League official is quoted as saying: ‘He still gets on with all the other referees and I could see him taking a role somewhere. He’d be perfect as a VAR pundit or expert.’
Coote, who officiated more than 100 top-flight games, was suspended by the PGMOL on November 11 after a video of him labelling Klopp a ‘****’ was published online.
Just a few days later, The Sun released a clip of him allegedly snorting a white substance while officating at Euro 2024, prompting a new investigation from UEFA.
Coote was then stood down from officiating European matches by UEFA and, in a later development, the FA confirmed he was the subject of a betting probe after allegations that he exchanged messages with a friend before a Leeds United match with West Bromwich Albion in 2019 in which he was asked to book the home side’s Ezgjan Alioski. Coote has denied wrongdoing in relation to the betting probe.
The video was allegedly recorded back in 2020 after Liverpool’s controversial 1-1 draw against Burnley, which saw Andy Robertson angrily confront the English referee after not being awarded a penalty.
The leaked video was reportedly sent to the publication by a friend of the referee, and filmed by the official at a hotel paid for by UEFA during their flagship international competition this year.
Coote said he has been in an ‘incredibly dark place’ since the footage became public, and confirmed the powder he had been snorting was cocaine.
Coote said that he felt a deep sense of regret and didn’t recognise himself in the videos
‘It was really difficult, I didn’t want to leave the house because I felt everybody would be judging me,’ Coote revealed.
‘I felt that every which way I looked people were looking at me and thinking what’s he done, why has he done that, he’s let himself down, he’s let other people down, he’s let his colleagues, his friends, his family down.
‘I went shopping and for the first time everywhere I was looking in the supermarket I felt that everybody was watching me or was looking at me and judging me and I had a panic attack in one of the aisles and had to take some deep breaths.
Meanwhile, in an emotional interview last month, Coote explained how shame over his sexuality led to a battle with drugs and he admitted that he had used them as an escape.
‘I felt a deep sense of shame during my teenage years in particular, he said. ‘I didn’t come out to my parents until I was 21. I didn’t come out to my friends until I was 25.
In one video, Coote could be heard making disparaging remarks about Jurgen Klopp
The initial video appeared to follow Liverpool’s controversial draw with Burnley in 2020
‘My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to be in that position. But I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay, and that I’ve had real struggles dealing with hiding that.
‘I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well – a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being. And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours.’
Coote began his refereeing journey at the age of 14, where he started as a lineman. In 2010 he was promoted to the list of Football League referees in 2010. His first major game in charge came in the 2014 League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium.
In 2018, Coote reached the pinnacle of being a referee when he officiated his first Premier League game between Newcastle and West Brom. He was a FIFA-listed referee between September 2020 and March 2022.
