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Premier League referee David Coote has been sacked after videos revealed him making foul-mouthed comments about Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool.
The videos also showed him allegedly sniffing what appeared to be white powder.
The video allegedly showing Coote sniffing what appeared to be white powder was published by Sun two days after his comments about Klopp came to light.
Coote strongly criticised Klopp in footage that appears to date from the 2020-21 season. It includes an expletive-filled passage, and he refers to the then-Liverpool manager as “arrogant.”
Coote also refers to Klopp’s nationality and describes Liverpool’s performance in unflattering terms. The second video reportedly dates from this summer’s European Championship, where Coote was an official.
Professional Game Match Officials Ltd said within hours of the first video’s emergence on 11 November that Coote had been suspended pending an investigation, and on Monday, it said his position had been deemed untenable.
Coote was also removed from duty at the time by Uefa and is being separately investigated by the Football Association over his comments about Klopp.
The FA has been investigating allegations that Coote discussed giving a yellow card before a game.
The allegations centre on an exchange of messages before and after Coote refereed the Championship game between Leeds and West Brom in October 2019, in which he booked the Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski.
Coote described those allegations as “false and defamatory”, saying: “Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision-making on the field.”
PGMOL in a statement on Monday said, “Following the conclusion of a thorough investigation into David Coote’s conduct, his employment with PGMOL has been terminated today with immediate effect.
“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.”
