Disgraced ex-Premier League referee David Coote has been handed an eight-week suspension by the Football Association (FA) and ordered to complete an education programme after making derogatory remarks about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Coote was sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) in December after a 2020 video resurfaced online in November, showing him making insulting comments about Klopp and Liverpool. The FA ruled his reference to Klopp’s German nationality constituted an “aggravated breach” of rule E3.2.
In its verdict on Tuesday, the FA said Coote expressed “deep remorse” and admitted his remarks were “crass and inappropriate.”
He was charged in June, but the FA confirmed he would face no further action over separate gambling misconduct allegations, which he denied, after a full investigation.
Coote has also been banned from all officiating duties by UEFA until June 2026, following the emergence of another video in November appearing to show him snorting white powder during Euro 2024.
Earlier this year, Coote publicly came out as gay, saying that the strain of hiding his sexuality had contributed to poor decisions in his personal and professional life.
