The Premier League referee who appeared to call Jürgen 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 until 2012 a period when Coote was officiating in the Football League.
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.
Credit: X / @AnfieldEdition
Coote has been a Premier League referee since 2018 and, pending an investigation, his future 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 its 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 Liverpools 2-0 Premier League win against Aston Villa on Saturday, appears to show the referee speaking in the wake of Liverpools 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: Cootes 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 worlds faith in officiating will be dealt a major blow.
Mike Dean, another former Premier League referee, said it would devastate officials from the grass roots all the way up to the professional game.
As referees you cant put yourself in that position, he told Sky Sports. You can say things away from camera, you can talk among your friends but you cant let somebody video this and hope it is never going to come out.
Its damaging for everybody involved. It will devastate referees from grass roots all the way to the Football League. You have just got to be so careful [about] what you say.
Dean has been in communication by text message with Coote to see how he is and believes that there could still be a path back to refereeing.
Hes still a colleague in a way, said Dean, who stood down after 22 years as a Premier League referee in 2022. Dave is one of the quieter referees of the group. He will be devastated. I dont think its damaged his career beyond repair.
With all this media attention, would David still want to continue refereeing? Thats the bigger picture you have got to think of. Obviously, it will be hard to come back.
Its so out of character. I was astounded. I feel so sorry for David as a friend and colleague.
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