The Premier League referee who appeared to call Jurgen Klopp a “German c—” has damaged the reputation of referees but they are not corrupt, a former colleague has said.
Peter Walton says David Coote’s viral video was out of character. Walton was a Premier League referee until 2012, a period during which Coote was active in the Football League.
“The video is shocking at first glance. There are some Premier League referees who I regard as more loose-lipped and boyish in their behavior away from the public spotlight,” Walton wrote in a column for The times.
“David is not one of them. I would have described him as captain wise. Not one of the boys. Unlike some referees, you rarely see him laughing and joking with players during matches.”
Credit: X / @AnfieldEdition
Coote has been a Premier League referee since 2018 and, pending an investigation, his future now appears to be in serious doubt.
“If PGMOL ultimately discovers that the video is as serious as it appears, the discipline David will face will be severe, but this episode will also damage the reputation of Premier League referees in general,” Walton said. “I remain absolutely confident that our referees are not corrupt – it is the current standard of refereeing that concerns me – but conspiracy theorists will seize on something like this.
“David will have been warned, like all referees since the early 2000s, of the risks of social media and the need to project a respectful image in public or when there is a chance of someone capturing you in this way.”
The footage, which emerged after Coote took charge of Liverpool’s 2-0 Premier League win against Aston Villa on Saturday, appears to show the referee speaking in the aftermath of Liverpool’s 7-2 thrashing at the hands of the same opponents in October 2020.
When asked by his companion what he thinks “about the match against Liverpool earlier when you were the fourth official,” the man in the video replies: “Liverpool was s—.”
He is then asked what he thought of Klopp, to which he replies: “C—. Absolute c—.”
Former referee chief Keith Hackett, writes in Telegraph Sportssaid: “Coote’s comments marked a sad day for the officials and if the Football Association and PGMOL find him guilty they will have no choice but to impose the harshest penalties on him. If they don’t, the football world’s confidence in the referee’s actions will diminish. take a serious blow.”
Dean: ‘It’s so strange’
Mike Dean, another former Premier League referee, said it would devastate officials from grassroots to professional level.
“As a referee you can’t put yourself in that position,” he told Sky Sports. “You can say things off camera, you can talk to your friends… but you can’t have someone film this and hope it never comes out.
“It is harmful to everyone involved. It will devastate referees from grassroots to the Football League. You just have to be so careful [about] what you say.”
Dean has been communicating with Coote by text to see how he is doing and believes there could still be a path back to refereeing.
“He is still a colleague in a sense,” said Dean, who retired as a Premier League referee in 2022 after 22 years. “Dave is one of the quieter referees in the group. He will be devastated. I don’t think it damaged his career beyond repair.
“With all this media attention, would David still want to continue refereeing? That’s the bigger picture you need to think about. Obviously it will be difficult to come back.
“It’s so characterless. I was amazed. I feel so sorry for David as a friend and colleague.”
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