Suspended referee David Coote is a ‘hardworking and diligent’ professional who deserves the dignity to move on with his life, according to former official Jon Moss.
Coote is being investigated by the Football Association after a slew of allegations and videos detailing his conduct away from the field.
A video of a man alleged to be Coote snorting white powder at Euro 2024 in a UEFA-funded hotel room emerged, while he was also accused of calling Jurgen Klopp a ‘German ****’ among other misdemeanours.
In November Coote slammed ‘false and defamatory allegations’ about his character and insisted that nothing in his personal life affected his decision-making on the field.
Moss, a former Premier League referee and officials’ chief, admits the saga has brought reputational damage on the profession but has sympathy for Coote, as he told The Athletic.
‘David is a nice guy and I always found him to be hardworking, diligent and sensible. I hope that PGMOL conduct their investigations and when it comes to it he can move on either as a referee or in some other walk of life.
David Coote has been upheld as ‘diligent and hardworking’ by a former Premier League referee
Coote is suspended and being investigated after a series of allegations about his conduct
Jonathan Moss says the stories will ‘damage’ the perception of referees but wants Coote to be able to move on with his life after the investigation surrounding him has concluded
‘What the public have to realise is that for a number of years English match officials have been held in high esteem right around the world because they’ve never been involved in match fixing or anything like that,’ he says. ‘These people are dedicated to the profession and they work really hard.
‘Unfortunately, these stories, whether you believe them or not, will undoubtedly cause damage. Some fans already had that perception of referees and this will add fuel to the fire.
‘All the people I worked with have always had the best interest of the game. And I would hope that will continue as well.’
He also issued some advice for Coote and any referee looking to make their way in the game. Moss was manager of the Premier League’s Select Group One of officials from 2022 until he retired in March.
‘You’ve always got to be careful as a match official how you conduct yourself and who you surround yourself with,’ he said. ‘It’s important to have a tight circle of friends that you trust. And then it’s about living your life appropriately to the position that you hold.’
In November, The Sun reported that Coote had tried to set up a ‘drugs party’ in a Travelodge after Manchester City’s defeat to October – and was even sending organisational messages shortly before kick-off and at half-time. Those accusations all came from an anonymous source.
Fresh bombshell allegations then emerged last month centred around a Championship game between Leeds and West Brom in October 2019.
It was reported in The Sun that Coote had a text exchange with a ‘pal’ in which it was suggested Leeds player Ezgjan Alioski would be booked during the clash at Elland Road, with the North Macedonian star subsequently cautioned in the 18th minute for a sliding tackle on Darnell Furlong.
An astonishing leaked video went viral earlier this month appearing to show Premier League official Coote calling Liverpool ‘s***’ and Jurgen Klopp a ‘German ****’
Coote was suspended after the footage, which appears to be from many years ago
He and former Liverpool boss Klopp had several runs in with each other over the years
A video also emerged of Coote allegedly snorting white powder in a hotel room at Euro 2024
Coote (pictured topless from a separate video) has also been accused of making disparaging remarks about Everton and Liverpool defender Andy Robertson
There is no suggestion that Coote official made any financial gain. The decision to give the yellow card is also considered the correct call by the referee given the nature of the challenge.
Insisting nothing untoward occurred during their discussion, Coote reportedly claimed he was only having ‘banter’ with the friend.
‘I strongly refute these false and defamatory allegations,’ he said in a subsequent statement.
‘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.’
It is reported the fan jokingly told Coote to give Alioski a yellow card during the game so he could place a bet on that outcome ahead of time.
On the eve of the fixture, the friend replied to another Coote message by saying: ‘Oooh big game. We still on for what we discussed? Maybe I could you if so.’
Coote responded: ‘Haha I don’t know what you mean.’
Further claims which were published in The Sun said that Coote also allegedly tried to organise a drugs party during Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat by Tottenham on October 30
The official reportedly sent messages minutes before the match and at half-time of the game
The Sun’s source questioned whether Coote (right) was really ‘concentrated’ on the fixture
The friend added: ‘Haha, well I’m off to back it in the morning so don’t let me down.’
‘Haha will see,’ Coote replied.
A day after the match, Coote told the friend: ‘What a day yesterday. I hope you backed as discussed.’
The Leeds fan replied by saying that he did not bet on the outcome, admitting another friend ‘backed it though’.
‘Haha he will have to share with you then,’ the referee allegedly replied.
Alioski was ultimately the match winner for Leeds that day, netting the only goal of the game in their 1-0 win at Elland Road.
Those allegations came amid a storm at which Coote is the centre, following the emergence of a clip which appeared to show him calling Liverpool ‘s***’ and describing Jurgen Klopp a ‘German ****’.
This was then followed by a video that appeared to show a man alleged to be the official sniffing a white powder during the European Championship where he was a referee earlier this year.
Suspended official Coote has hit back at allegations claiming he discussed booking a player before he refereed an EFL match five years ago
Coote gave Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski a yellow card against West Brom back in 2019
He is alleged to have messaged a friend after the game: ‘I hope you backed as discussed’
PGMOL (the body responsible for refereeing games in England) say they are taking claims against the 42-year-old ‘very seriously’.
A PGMOL spokesperson said: ‘We are following an internal process and taking the allegations into David Coote’s conduct very seriously as part of our ongoing full and thorough investigation. Whilst David remains suspended, his welfare continues to be important to us and he is aware of the support network available to him.’
Coote was stood down from Premier League duties and also from international and European competition by UEFA, which is also investigating.
‘The UEFA Referees Committee immediately suspended David Coote until further notice on November 11 when it became aware of his inappropriate behaviour,’ a spokesperson said.
