Premier League ref David Coote suspended after 'launching X-rated rant against Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp'
11 November 2024, 15:19 | Updated: 11 November 2024, 15:41
A Premier League referee has been suspended after seeming to have been caught on camera delivering an X-rated tirade about Jurgen Klopp.
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David Coote was apparently filmed calling the former Liverpool manager an "absolute c***" when Coote was refereeing a match involving his side.
He said that Klopp, who left Liverpool in the summer after nearly a decade at Anfield, "had a right f****** pop" at him after the game.
Coote, 42, also took aim at Liverpool itself, calling the club "s***".
The video has spread on social media. It has not been confirmed if the footage is genuine yet, or when and where it was filmed.
But officials group the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said it was aware of two videos circulating and was looking into the matter.
They 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."
In the video, Coote appears to say of Klopp: "C***, absolute c***.
"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****** pop at me.
“I’ve got no interest in speaking to somebody as f****** arrogant. I do my best not to speak to him… my god, German c***. F*** me.”
The Premier League has been blighted in recent years by unfounded accusations of bias aimed some referees by some clubs' fanbases.
Any indication of partiality on the part of a referee could fuel such suspicions further.
Coote, who is from Nottinghamshire, has been officiating in the Premier League since 2018 and is in the Select Group of 21 top referees.
He refereed the League Cup final in 2023.
