Ex-Premier League referee Peter Walton insists David Coote is “trying to be someone he’s not” after a video emerged of him insulting Liverpool and their former boss Jurgen Klopp.
Current Premier League referee Coote was suspended by PGMOL on Monday after a video showed him calling former Liverpool boss Klopp a “German c**t”.
In the video, Coote said: “C**t, absolute c**t. Aside from having a right pop at me when I was reffing against Burnley in lockdown, he accused me of lying and then just had a right f***ing pop at me. I’ve got no interest in speaking to somebody as f***ing arrogant. I do my best not to speak to him…my god, German c***t. F*** me.”
The friend then adds: “Long story short, Jurgen Klopp’s a c***t, Liverpool are all f***ing bellends and we hate Scousers.”
In a statement on Monday, the PGMOL said: “David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete.”
And now former colleague Walton is “absolutely certain that our referees are not corrupt” and insists Coote was acting out of character in the video.
Walton wrote in The Times: “There are some Premier League referees I consider more loose-lipped, and more laddish in their behaviour away from the public spotlight. David is not one of them.
“I would have described him as Captain Sensible, maybe a bit highly-strung at times, and not one of the lads.
“Unlike some referees, you rarely see him laughing and joking with players during matches – he is generally very straight-laced. I look at the video and wonder if part of the problem is that he is trying to be someone he is not.
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“He is 42 now, so under normal circumstances potentially has another ten years of Premier League refereeing ahead of him. I worked with him towards the end of my career, when he was on his way up and would be my fourth official.
“He rose up through the divisions in the conventional way, and I would say he has plateaued in terms of ability. He is not at the very highest level where he would expect to go to European and global competitions but given the standard in this country, he is a reasonable choice for mid-level Premier League matches, if not the biggest games.
READ MORE: ‘Liar’ David Coote ‘shouldn’t be suspended’ with Liverpool, Klopp video ‘hardly a sackable offence’
“I wouldn’t call him a safe pair of hands because there are only two or three referees who are that at present, but normally you know what to expect from David.
“If PGMOL ultimately finds 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. I remain absolutely certain that our referees are not corrupt — it’s the present standard of refereeing that is the concern for me — but conspiracy theorists will seize on something like this.”
On former Liverpool boss Klopp, Walton added: “He looks to be one of the more difficult touchline personalities of recent times to manage. But those are the ones above all that require the referee to remain calm. The language used in the video – assuming all is as it seems – is clearly offensive.”
