Coote told sacking was ‘inevitable’ over ‘stupid’ Liverpool, Klopp and Euro 2024 revelations

A former Premier League referee says it was “inevitable” that official David Coote was sacked as a result of his “stupid” actions.

The English referee was initially suspended by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in November after being caught on video making derogatory comments about Liverpool and their former boss Jurgen Klopp, and then for appearing to snort a white powder at Euro 2024.

The PGMOL confirmed the 42-year-old had been fired on Monday, saying that a thorough investigation concluded he was “in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable”.

Now, ex-referee Keith Hackett, who officiated in the Premier League between 1992-94, has given his take on Coote’s dismissal, saying this whole affair was a “damaging” one.

Hackett told Football Insider: “When we first saw those set of video clips it was damaging to the reputation of English referees. Clearly, the PGMOL after their investigation are satisfied that Mr Coote is guilty of breaking his employment criteria.

“The PGMOL have emphasised that they have a continuing duty of care towards David Coote and that he has a right of appeal. It’s a long pathway to reach the top in refereeing with many years of dedication and a stupid action by him has resulted in the inevitable action by his employers the PGMOL.”

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The PGMOL’s decision

Despite sacking Coote, the PGMOL said they would continue to support the disgraced referee and remained “committed to his welfare”.

The governing body added that Coote, who appeared to call Klopp a German “c***” and Liverpool “s***” in a video that emerged in November, has the right to appeal this decision.

A PGMOL statement reads: “Following the conclusion of a thorough investigation into David Coote’s conduct, his employment with PGMOL has been terminated today with immediate effect.

“David Coote’s actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable. Supporting David Coote continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare.

“David Coote has a right to appeal the decision to terminate his employment.”

What does Coote’s future look like?

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher said Coote’s position was “untenable” after these incidents came to light.

He told Sky Sports News: “It’s [about] making sure he’s OK. After the investigation, his position was untenable. We have a code of conduct that we have to sign as referees. They agree to lead a life that’s outside of what we’ve seen over the last four weeks.

“If you see what’s happened, it must have been as big a shock for him as everyone else when you bear in mind some of these videos are four or five years old. He agreed it was him, but when it came out, he must’ve been as shocked as everybody.

“Then you see it unfold and you can imagine the personal trauma he is going through, the turmoil in his head. What they’ve had to do is make sure his welfare is as important as getting the right decision and the right conclusion to this process.”

It remains to be seen if Coote, whose last game was Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa on November 9 in the Premier League, will ever referee a game again.