Premier League official David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect by PGMOL.
A video, which remains unverified, appearing to show Coote making derogatory comments about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp was widely circulated on social media on Monday.
A PGMOL statement read: “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 for Liverpool’s win over Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday night.
Liverpool have declined to comment.
Head of referees Howard Webb will be appearing on Match Officials: Mic’d Up on Tuesday night on Sky Sports Premier League at 7pm.
Which Liverpool league games has Coote taken charge of?
In total, Coote has taken charge of eight Liverpool matches, three of which were Premier League contests.
The first of those was in July 2020 when Liverpool drew 1-1 with Burnley at Anfield.
Coote then did not officiate another top-flight game involving Liverpool until March 2024, when he refereed Brighton’s 2-1 loss at the Reds.
And his third and final Premier League Liverpool encounter he refereed was the 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Coote has also been the Video Assistant Referee [VAR] in 11 league matches involving Liverpool dating back to 2019, the third of which was the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in September 2020 that ended 2-2.
However, the official was not the VAR again in a Liverpool Premier League clash until three years later.
What happened when Coote refereed Liverpool vs Burnley?
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Jurgen Klopp raged at referee David Coote after he failed to award Liverpool a penalty for a challenge on Andy Robertson in the 1-1 draw at Anfield in July 2020
The video being shared appears to refer to the Premier League match between Liverpool – who were already crowned champions – and Burnley, which Coote refereed, in July 2020.
The game finished 1-1 after Jay Rodriguez’s strike cancelled out Andy Robertson’s opener, ending Liverpool’s 24-match winning run at Anfield.
At full-time, Klopp appeared to argue with Coote and his officials on the pitch, and after the match, the former Reds boss said the referee failed to give fouls for challenges made on Liverpool’s players.
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Three high-profile incidents between Liverpool and David Coote
‘I’ve never known anything like this’
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher on Sky Sports News:
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Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher reacts to the David Coote video that has gone viral and says that the incident is unlike he has ever seen in refereeing given the global reputation of officials in the Premier League
“I was on the Premier League for 17 years and the Football League for five years before that. I’ve never ever known or heard anything like this. It’s such an unusual occurrence.
“A firm, fair and swift process is what everyone wants. Anything like this you want to bring closure to it, and the way to bring that is transparency and honesty. That’s what the PGMOL under Howard Webb have maintained ever since he took tenure.
“Anybody questioning any referee at the highest level in England, just look around the world, they’re the most-wanted referees. In FIFA and UEFA competition, they’ve done more finals and high-profile games than any other country in the world throughout the last 10 years.”
‘A very serious allegation’
Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett:
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (right) with David Coote in July 2020
“David Coote appears to be speaking directly to a camera phone and appears to go on to make a number of derogatory comments about Liverpool Football Club and their former manager Jurgen Klopp.
“We don’t know if this video is genuine or not at this stage, and neither do PGMOL.
“We need to point out that there is no indication at all as to how old this video is, but it is clearly not recent. In the video, Coote talks about lockdown and being socially distant. He shows the guy interviewing him a picture on his phone where he is wearing a mask. He talks about Klopp and James Milner, who hasn’t played for Liverpool for more than 18 months.
“Coote is an elite Premier League referee. He is part of the elite group of match officials, where he has been since 2018. He had eight years as an EFL referee before that. He is one of the most experienced and highly-thought-of referees in this country, and with that position comes an awful lot of responsibility, in terms of impartiality in particular.
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Charlie Wyett from The Sun and The Mirror’s John Cross react to the viral David Coote video, saying it’s ‘acutely embarrassing’, ‘feeds into conspiracy theories’ and it will make match officials’ jobs much harder
“So any suggestion that Coote or any other elite match official might have bias against a particular Premier League club, or bad feeling towards them or their manager, is a very serious allegation.
“But while I think we need to stress there is history between Klopp and Coote, the latter hasn’t had the chance to explain himself, either to us or indeed the PGMOL, who are his employers.
“This has moved very quickly. It’s a huge story and potentially one that is very damaging, not just for Coote but the PGMOL as well.”