Suspended Premier League referee David Coote is being investigated by the Football Association (FA) following allegations he discussed issuing a yellow card with a friend before a match.
The allegations were first reported in UK newspaper The Sun on Tuesday night and relate to a booking received by Leeds United’s Ezgjan Alioski from Coote during their Championship game against West Bromwich Albion in October 2019.
“I strongly refute these false and defamatory allegations,” Coote said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
“Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision-making on the field. I have always held the integrity of the game in the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the best of my ability.”
The Sun reported that Coote accepted a discussion with a friend had taken place, but that nothing inappropriate happened, nor is it suggested he gained financially from the booking. Alioski was booked for a late, sliding challenge and the decision appears routine.
An FA spokesperson described the allegations as “very serious” and that they are being investigated “as a matter of urgency”.
The Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) — the organisation that manages English football’s leading officials — released a statement on Tuesday night saying “the facts need to be established” and that they “adopt a zero-tolerance approach to any breach” of their integrity code, with the “PGMOL board committed to taking the appropriate action should any breach of that Code be proven”.
Leeds said on Wednesday they were aware of the allegations and “have full confidence in the FA, EFL and PGMOL regulations and processes”.
Coote was initially suspended by the PGMOL on November 11 after a video was posted online of him making offensive remarks about Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager. Three days later, The Sun published a video which showed someone they alleged was Coote sniffing white powder through a rolled-up American bank note.
The Sun reported that the video was from July 6, one day after the Euro 2024 quarter-final between France and Portugal in Hamburg where Coote was the assistant VAR.
The Athletic has been unable to verify the video nor confirm Coote’s identity, but the PGMOL responded when asked to provide comment on it, saying they are “aware of the allegations and are taking them very seriously”.
UEFA also suspended Coote from refereeing in its competitions on November 11, two days before The Sun released its video, and are investigating the 42-year-old for a “potential violation” of its regulations.
Coote is also subject to a separate FA investigation for a potential breach of its rules in relation to his comments about Klopp.
In the statement released on Tuesday night, the PGMOL added: ”David Coote remains suspended and subject to an ongoing disciplinary process by PGMOL, separate to the investigation into this matter which will be carried out independently by The FA.”
(Jan Kruger/Getty Images)