The Premier League referee who appeared to call Jurgen Klopp a “German c—” has damaged the reputation of referees but they are not corrupt, a former colleague has said.
Peter Walton says that the viral video of David Coote, was out of character. Walton was a Premier League referee up until 2012 – a period when Coote was officiating in the Football League.
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Credit: X / @AnfieldEdition
“The video is, at first viewing, shocking. There are some Premier League referees I consider more loose-lipped and more laddish in their behaviour away from the public spotlight,” wrote Walton in a column for The Times. “David is not one of them. I would have described him as captain sensible. Not one of the lads. Unlike some referees, you rarely see him laughing and joking with players during matches.”
Coote has been a Premier League referee since 2018 and, pending an investigation, his future as a referee now appears to be in serious doubt.
“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,” said Walton. “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.
“David will have been warned, as all referees have been since the early 2000s, about the risks of social media and the need to project a respectful image in public or when there is a chance someone is recording you in this way.”
The footage, which has emerged after Coote took charge of Liverpool’s 2-0 Premier League win against Aston Villa on Saturday, appears to show the referee speaking in the wake of Liverpool’s 7-2 thrashing by the same opponents in October 2020.
Asked by his companion what he thinks “of the Liverpool game earlier when you were fourth official”, the man in the video replies: “Liverpool were s—.”
He is then asked what he thought of Klopp, to which he answers: “C—. Absolute c—.”
Former referees’ chief Keith Hackett, writing in Telegraph Sport, said: “Coote’s comments made a sad day for officials and if the Football Association and PGMOL find him guilty they will have no choice but to hand him the most severe of punishments, because if they do not, the footballing world’s faith in officiating will be dealt a major blow.”
