EXCLUSIVE David Coote should have been sacked by PGMOL but the reaction to the leaked Jurgen Klopp insult video was overblown, renowned referee Mark Clattenburg tells new Mail football podcast
David Coote deserved to be sacked by PGMOL after admitting to taking cocaine but the global reaction to a leaked video where the former referee insulted former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was overblown, Mark Clattenburg has told Whistleblowers, a new Mail football podcast, in partnership with Wickes TradePro.
World-renowned referee and co-host of the new podcast Clattenburg compared the video, which appeared to show an intoxicated Coote calling the German manager a '****', to 'bantering in a pub'.
He added that not enough is done to protect referees from the pressures of the game at the highest level.
Whistleblowers is a brand-new football podcast hosted by broadcaster Gordon Smart, Mail Football Editor Ian Ladyman, and ex-elite referee Mark Clattenburg.
From what really goes on in the referee's room, to how clubs spin crises and who's pulling the strings behind the scenes - Whistleblowers brings the inside stories only those at the heart of the game can tell.
Asked whether Coote had been unfairly treated by PGMOL, Clattenburg said: 'No because if he had a problem with drugs, he should have gone to them for support.
'They would have supported him. Forget the Liverpool stuff – that's bantering in a pub. I have been guilty of it with friends in the past.
'Unfortunately, now, with recording devices and stuff, the world's changed but we've all been in the pub and had a bit of banter about football. I have probably said things about managers and players.
'I am not sure that was a career-ending moment for him. It was the drug issue, certainly in high-profile matches.
'Coote allowed that to come out without any mechanism in place. I think that's where his career became difficult.'
Clattenburg, who has refereed nearly 400 Premier League matches and the 2016 Champions League final, said he had some sympathy for Coote after the video surfaced.
'As a referee, if you don't speak a little bit – they call you arrogant', Clattenburg said.
'When you're out, you always try to manage situations – people are always asking what such and such is like.
'You try and make a joke out of it – but with jokes nowadays, nobody knows what level you're actually having that joke at.'
Co-host Ladyman shared Clattenburg's sympathy for Coote but said the video did the 'whole refereeing community a huge disservice' by fuelling fans' suspicions about bias in officiating.
Doorbell footage originally shared by The Sun showed Coote working as a delivery driver as he serves out his 16-month suspension from football.
The original Klopp video was allegedly recorded back in 2020 after Liverpool's controversial 1-1 draw against Burnley, which saw Andy Robertson angrily confront the English referee after not being awarded a penalty.
'So many people out there in the weird world we live in now are conspiracy theorists', Ladyman said.
'Football supporters these days are convinced that referees are genuinely acting against their club. What Coote did played to that.
'It gave substance to the lunatic fringe and their theories - it gave them credibility.'
To listen to the first episode of the brand new Daily Mail series, where Mark Clattenburg sensationally admits to the existence of 'Fergie time', search Whistleblowers now, wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also watch on YouTube. New episodes are released every Thursday.
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