Premier League referee David Coote, who has been suspended by PGMOL after a video appeared to show him calling former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp a “German c**t”, now admits he did indeed call Jurgen Klopp a “German c**t”.
Coote was in charge as Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0 on Saturday, which maintained their brilliant start to the new season, but the Premier League referee controversially denied the Reds a foul as Leon Bailey brought Mohamed Salah to the ground before Darwin Nunez scored the opener, while Villa also complained they should have had two spot-kicks.
The Premier League referee had a number of run-ins with Klopp before he left Liverpool in the summer with Coote on VAR the day Jordan Pickford’s tackle saw Virgil van Dijk pick up an ACL injury in the Merseyside derby in October 2020.
And there is video footage, thought to have been filmed during the pandemic, going around on social media in which a friend asks Coote about a particular Liverpool performance, to which the Premier League referee replied (via the Empire of the Kop): “Liverpool were s**t.”
“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.”
MORE LIVERPOOL COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Premier League winners and losers: Liverpool strengthen grip as Dr Tottenham saves another patient
👉 Only Ole has had a better start as Premier League manager than Arne Slot
👉 Premier League team of the season so far in 2024/25
Empire of the Kop sources have obtained footage (now widely circulated online) of video clips which show David Coote indulging in a foul-mouthed rant about Jurgen Klopp in which he repeatedly used inflammatory language to defame the ex-Liverpool manager: pic.twitter.com/hABudCGUbu
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) November 11, 2024
BBC Sport football reporter Simon Stone revealed that the PGMOL are now investigating the video doing the rounds on social media.
Stone wrote on X: “PGMOL are aware of a video circulating on social media and are investigating.”
The Times reporter Paul Joyce later revealed that Coote had now been suspended, he said on X: ‘David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete.’
In a further development, as reported by Mirror’s Darren Lewis, Coote initially said it wasn’t him.
Lewis wrote on X: ‘Premier League referee David Coote vehemently denies inappropriate conduct and has been insistent to referee chiefs PGMOL that viral video in which he appears is not genuine. PGMOL have tech experts examining it.’
But now, in a moment of clarity, presumably concerned by the tech skills of said ‘tech experts’, again according to Lewis, Coote has confirmed that he is the man in the video.
Lewis wrote on X: ‘UPDATE: Top Premier League referee David Coote, is understood to have accepted the viral video in which in which he appears is genuine. However, it is believed he does not recall the content of the discussion, recorded several years ago.’