FA launches own investigation into referee David Coote over Klopp comments

Referee is already subject of PGMOL investigation.

A video which appears to show Premier League referee David Coote making derogatory comments about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is being investigated.

The Football Association has launched its own investigation into the behaviour of the referee David Coote after remarks he made about Jürgen Klopp in a video that surfaced online this week.

Coote is the subject of an investigation by the referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Ltd after clips showed the 42-year-old calling the former Liverpool manager “arrogant” and a “German c**t”.

As a participant in football, Coote also falls under the scope of the FA’s rules and the investigation is likely to concentrate on a potential breach of rule E3, which deals with behaviour that brings the game into disrepute. Participants can then be charged with further, aggravated breaches of the rule if found to have used insulting words or behaviours relating to a number of personal characteristics, including an individual’s nationality.

An FA spokesperson said: “We are aware of the matter, and we are investigating it.”

In the clips posted online on Monday, Coote appears to be speaking with friends when asked about his experiences working with Klopp as a match official. Although the remarks were made in private – in a second video Coote urges viewers: “Just to be clear, that last video can’t go anywhere, seriously” – the FA has the ability to charge individuals if the material appears in public spaces. 

During a disciplinary case involving Dele in 2020, an independent regulatory commission found the then Spurs player “could and should have appreciated that once material is distributed the author no longer has control of the onward distribution”.

Coote has been on PGMOL’s select list of referees since 2018 and took charge of the Carabao Cup final in 2023. In the video he references a Liverpool match against Burnley which is believed to be one that took place in July 2020 as part of Project Restart. 

Klopp confronted Coote at the end of the game, which was played behind closed doors, arguing he had failed to award his team a penalty for a foul on Andy Robertson.

Guardian