Premier League referee David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect. Recordings are circulating on social media in which the referee violently insults Jürgen Klopp.
Two videos are currently circulating on social media that allegedly show 42-year-old David Coote abusing Jürgen Klopp in the worst possible way. However, it is still unclear whether the footage is genuine or when it was recorded. The content, which was widely shared on Monday afternoon, is now the subject of an investigation by the English Referee Organization PGMOL.
In the first video, which has not yet been verified, and which was apparently recorded on a cell phone and lasts one minute, Coote is asked for his opinion on an unspecified Liverpool game and then about former coach Klopp. In it, Coote makes several insults, the most harmless of which is that Klopp is “arrogant.” He also accused Klopp of calling him a liar.
In a second video, Coote can be heard saying how important it is that the first clip not be shared.
The English soccer refereeing authority released a statement saying that “David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation.”
Coote has been officiating matches in the English top flight since the 2017-18 season. He has already refereed six Premier League games this season, most recently Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday.
Coote and Liverpool have a history
However, Coote has had a series of confrontations with the Reds in recent years, some of which have been played out in public. In December 2023, in the top-of-the-table clash against Arsenal (1-1), Klopp was annoyed that Coote, who was working as a VAR at the time, did not instruct referee Chris Kavanagh to go to the edge of the pitch to review a tricky scene. Arsenal’s Martin Ödegaard had handled the ball in the box, but no penalty was awarded.
ChiefReferee Howard Webb later admitted that Coote had made a mistake and that the penalty should have been given. “All the feedback we received afterwards was very clear: a penalty was expected in that situation, and I would agree. That’s a situation where we didn’t get the decision right,” Webb told Sky Sports at the time.
Coote was also the VAR when Liverpool played the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park against Everton in 2020. At the time, a foul by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford on Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was not penalized. The Dutchman tore his anterior cruciate ligament and was out for months. Klopp was naturally surprised why Coote did not ask the main referee, Michael Oliver, to issue a corresponding caution to Pickford after seeing the replays.