Premier League referee David Coote is currently being investigated by the PGMOL for the derogatory comments he made against Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp, and the English official could now face an FA charge too.
Footage surfaced on social media on Monday afternoon showing the 42-year-old making disparaging remarks about Liverpool and their former manager Jürgen Klopp, just days after the referee was the man in the middle for the Reds’ 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield.
The video showed Coote stating that Liverpool played “s**t” in a game that he was at and that Klopp is a “c**t” after a recent incident with the German coach – an incident the Merseyside club have chosen to stay silent on for now.
The Premier League official was also heard saying: “Milner’s alright. I get on with Milner…but, my god, German c***. F*** me.”
This single sentence could now land Coote in even more trouble as the FA could charge him for an “aggravated breach” of conduct.
According to The Times‘ Martyn Ziegler, this falls foul of the FA’s rules, which state “whether express or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin and/or nationality” when it comes to people under its jurisdiction making comments.
This would be a double blow for Coote and he could face a similar punishment to that received by ex-Tottenham star Dele Alli back in 2020.
David Coote could be punished further for Liverpool comments
According to Ziegler, Coote’s situation is similar to one faced by Dele Alli in 2020 when the then-Tottenham player “[made] fun of Covid-19 and [singled] out an Asian man” in a private Snapchat video.
The English midfielder was banned for one match and fined £50,000, with any such punishment for Coote likely to be in addition to any decided by the PGMOL.
This type of fine would be a huge blow for Coote, who is currently awaiting the outcome of the PGMOL’s investigation. Should the video of the referee be verified to be legitimate, the 42-year-old should never be allowed to officiate a game in professional football again.
