The Premier League has suspended referee David Coote after a video of him appeared calling former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp names.
The 42-year-old was snapped in conversation with an unknown man, who asks what he thinks of an unspecified Liverpool game in a video that is currently trending on social media.
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“Liverpool were s***,” the man appearing to be Coote replies. Asked what he thinks of Klopp, he responds: “C***. Absolute c***,” before adding: “Aside from having a right pop at me when I refed him against Burnley in lockdown, then he accused me of lying and then just had a right f****** pop at me. And I’ve got no interest in speaking to someone who’s f****** arrogant. So, I do my best not to speak to him. [James] Milner’s alright.”
In a second video, Coote appears to add: “Just to be clear, that f****** last video can’t go anywhere. Seriously.”
The referees’ body, the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL), said in a statement: “David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete.”
Coote was the referee during Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Aston Villa on Saturday evening. It is currently unclear if the video is genuine and, if so, when it was recorded.
Coote began refereeing as a teenager in Nottinghamshire and was promoted to the Premier League in 2018. He has remained a regular official in the top tier of English football ever since and also took charge of last year’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium, which Manchester United won 2-0 against Newcastle.
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