Premier League officials to receive added support after David Coote case – referee chief Howard Webb

New York Times

a day ago

PGMOL chief Howard Webb has said that Premier League referees will receive an increased level of support after discussions were held following the suspension of David Coote.
Coote was sacked in December 2024 after being videoed describing Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, as a 'German c***', amongst other derogatory comments.
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He also faced subsequent allegations of snorting white powder the day after working as part of the video assistant referee (VAR) team at a Euro 2024 match, as well as an FA investigation into an alleged betting breach, over which he was cleared in June.
Coote was banned for 16 months by UEFA in February, and for two months by the FA last week, with Webb stating: 'I think it'd be really difficult for David to come back (into refereeing professionally in the United Kingdom).'
Subsequently, Coote revealed in a national newspaper interview that he was gay, and had hidden his sexuality throughout his refereeing career out of fear of abuse, also telling the hearing that the pandemic had significantly impacted his mental health.
'When it happened, and it became apparent that David had made some bad choices away from the football field, he was an employee of ours, and we obviously had to care for him and understand why he made some of those choices,' Webb said.
'We spoke to all of our officials and said: 'How are you feeling about all of this?' And the feedback came about the support they think they need, and it was a good time for us to reflect on the services that we do provide with our own staff expertise.
'We have sport psychologists and some element of mental health and wellbeing support, but there was a recognition that it could be beefed up, as well as being able to signpost officials to places outside of our own expertise where they could get support.'
Webb went on to explain how there was an 'unforgivingness' towards referees which could have a significant impact on their mental health and associated decision-making.
'I don't want officials to have a fear that if they step forward and say, 'Can we have a chat?', that it's going to impact their (match) appointments,' he explained. 'We want to emphasize that those chats are a sign of strength, not weakness. I think we've made good ground over the last few months because we've not really had those conversations previously, in relation to how people are really feeling.
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'Over the years, I've been there myself, you say to yourself that you have to show resilience, that you have a thick skin, that nobody's getting to you, but over time that can weigh you down. Having the ability to speak will help get officials in the best frame of mind.'
(Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
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