The Football Association has launched its own investigation into the video that appears to show Premier League referee David Coote using foul language to describe former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
Coote has already been suspended by refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) pending a full investigation.
BBC Sport has also been told the 42-year-old has been withdrawn from an international commitment this week.
However, the nature of Coote’s alleged comments are also attracting the attention of the FA.
One of the comments cites Klopp’s German nationality and FA rules state nationality is one of the references that can lead to an aggravated breach of its rules.
“We are aware of the matter, and we are investigating it,” said the FA in a statement.
The video allegedly showing Coote making derogatory comments about Klopp was circulated on social media.
It has not been verified by the BBC and it is unclear when it was filmed.
A source told the BBC that PGMOL’s inquiry is treating the video as genuine.
Coote is one of the Premier League’s most-experienced officials and has been refereeing matches in the top flight since 2018.
The video being shared appears to refer to a Premier League match that Coote officiated between Liverpool and Burnley in July 2020, which finished 1-1.
Klopp criticised Coote after the match, saying the referee failed to give fouls for challenges made on Liverpool’s players.
In the video the man alleged to be Coote says Klopp had “a right pop at me when I reffed them against Burnley in lockdown”. He calls Klopp arrogant and also swears several times when referring to him.
The video shows him with another man and lasts for just over a minute. The circumstances of how the video emerged are unclear.
PGMOL says it will not be making further comment on the case until its investigation is completed.
‘It’s damaging for everybody involved’ – Dean
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean said he was “astounded” when he saw the video and believes such comments would be “so out of character for David”.
“It’s damaging for everybody involved,” he told Sky Sports.
“I think all the way from the top down to the bottom, it will devastate referees from grassroots all the way to the Football League, people trying to get on to that level.”
He said he had been in touch with his former colleague – though would not reveal what was said – and added “it will be hard to come back in and start again”.
“Would David still want to carry on refereeing?” said Dean. “That’s the bigger picture you’ve got to think of. Does he want to put himself through it yet again to come back in?”
Meanwhile a recruitment company said it has suspended an employee – named as Ben Kitt – who appears to feature in the video alongside Coote.
“This is something that we are taking very seriously and we have suspended Ben on full pay while we investigate further,” Forsyth Barnes co-founder Roheel Ahmad said in a statement to the PA news agency.
“Although we are still in the process of gathering all the facts, we do know for certain that the video was taken some years before Ben became an employee of Forsyth Barnes.”
BBC Sport has attempted to contact Kitt, who has not yet commented on the matter.
