Premier League referee David Coote has been suspended for seemingly calling former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp a “German c**t” in a video circulating on social media.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited, or PGMOL, is the group that officiates all Premier League, EFL, and FA bouts, and is the one that imposed a sanction on Coote. “David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete,” the organization said in a statement.
In the video, which has yet to be verified, Coote is seen discussing a recent match he officiated with an unidentified man, who asked for the referee’s thoughts on the bout. “Liverpool were shit,” Coote said. When asked about Klopp, Coote called him a “c**t, absolute c**t.” He said Klopp had a “right pop” at him multiple times and accused him of lying, and said, “I’ve got no interest in speaking to someone who’s fucking arrogant. So I do my best not to speak to him.” Coote also held up a photo wearing a mask at a Liverpool match and mentioned social distancing, suggesting the video was filmed during COVID-19-restricted games. (It’s possible the video shows Coote referencing a July 2020 Liverpool-Burnley match, after which Klopp criticized Coote for not calling tackles on his players, according to Reuters.)
In a second video, Coote and the man ask viewers not to share the first video. “He’s a Premier League referee, let’s not, let’s not fucking ruin his career,” the man says.
Coote, 42, has been a Premier League referee since 2018. He most recently worked Liverpool’s match on Saturday. He’s from Nottingham and is registered as a fan of Notts County in the fourth tier of English football, which means he can’t officiate its matches or Nottingham Forest’s, either.
The FA said it is “aware of the matter” and is launching an investigation of its own. The club said it’s also aware of the video but is not commenting.
Klopp, 57, managed Liverpool from 2015 to 2024 in one of the most successful stints in Premier League history, earning eight trophies for the club. He retired in May, saying he was “running out of energy.” In January, he will become the head of global soccer for Red Bull GmbH.
