It is well known that in the Premier League there is a very rough tone between the players, coaches, officials and referees: there is swearing, cursing and bullying. As a rule, the referees get the most. Although they can sanction improper behavior with yellow and red cards, as a moral authority they are also required to have themselves under control in all situations. They cannot behave as impulsively and harshly as the protagonists on the club side sometimes do.
However, that in no way justifies the embarrassing derailment made by referee David Coote, who has been active in the Premier League since the 2017/2018 season. His statements caused a real scandal even in hard-nosed England: Coote went overboard in his choice of words – and insulted Liverpool FC and, above all, their long-time coach Jürgen Klopp. This is proven by an undated video that appeared on social networks on Monday and is presumably from the 2020/21 Corona season.
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In it, the 42-year-old Englishman can be seen on a sofa, the room is sparsely decorated. A man sits next to him and is probably recording the conversation with a cell phone camera. He asks Coote what he thinks of the club and Klopp after his recent stint as fourth official at a Liverpool game (presumably the 7-2 loss at Aston Villa in October 2020). Coote’s answer: Liverpool is “shit” and Klopp is a “German c***”. He repeats the obscenity towards Klopp several times in the 74-second clip.
Coote is immediately suspended by the English Referees Association
Coote also accuses Klopp of lying, referring to the Liverpool-Burnley league match (1-1), which he was primarily responsible for in July 2020. Coote criticizes that he has “absolutely no interest in speaking to someone who is damn arrogant.” Then he holds a photo on his cell phone up to the camera, in which he is standing with a face mask next to Klopp and his player James Milner at the Villa game. “Social distance,” he mocks and says sarcastically to the man sitting next to him: “We are two meters apart.” At the end of the conversation, the other person summarizes: “Long story short: Jürgen Klopp is a c***, Liverpool is a bloody asshole and we hate Scousers.” The people in Liverpool are called Scousers.
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In another recording, Coote demands that the original video never be shared and made public. “To be clear, the latest video can’t go anywhere, seriously,” he decrees. Someone else added: “He’s a Premier League referee, let’s not ruin a man’s career. We’re not that bad.” The English Referees Association PGMOL reacted immediately to the incident, which was now made public. She said Coote would be “suspended with immediate effect pending the completion of a full investigation.” There will be “no further comment” until the process is complete.
After the video appeared, a rumor circulated in England that the clip could have been generated by artificial intelligence. The tabloid contradicts this Sun: She writes that Coote “admitted to other arbitrators” the originality of the recording. However, he could refer to the facts according to the article in the Sun “don’t remember anymore.” There was no statement from Coote on the allegations as of Tuesday afternoon. Liverpool and Klopp also refrained from making an explanation until then.
During his Premier League time from 2015 to 2024, Klopp met Coote again and again with Liverpool. The games didn’t always go smoothly: on the match day after the former Villa debacle, Coote was present as a video assistant at the local derby away against Everton (2:2). At that time, Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was brutally fouled in the penalty area, he tore his cruciate ligament and was out for a long time. Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford escaped unpunished for the action, which would have required a penalty and a red card. There were also inconsistencies last December. At the home game against Arsenal, Coote, as the main referee, denied Liverpool a hand penalty. PGMOL boss Howard Webb later confirmed the wrong decision.
Of the eight Liverpool games led by Coote under Klopp, his team won five and lost two. There is currently no suspicion that Coote deliberately decided against Liverpool after his wild tirade of abuse. The matter seems more like a completely unsuccessful settlement with Jürgen Klopp – who didn’t always make things easy for the referees at the time. But he was always far away from such vulgar and meaningless insults.
