David Coote's EPL Return 'Very Difficult' After Ban For Comments On Jurgen Klopp, Says Howard Webb
Former referee Howard Webb has given a strong verdict against David Coote, claiming the disgraced referee would find it extremely difficult to come back to the list of English Premier League officials. Webb even raised doubts about Coote ever officiating at the elite level again after he was handed a suspension for making derogatory comments about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
In a video filmed during lockdown and leaked online in November 2024, Coote had gone on an abusive rant against Klopp and was criticised widely, before being suspended for an 'aggravated breach" of Football Association guidelines. Even though the referee expressed 'deep remorse" and accepted that his remarks on the German tactician were 'crass and inappropriate", he was barred from officiating in matches.
In a double whammy, Coote was then also sacked from the Premier League referees' body, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), when another controversial video caught the body's attention, where he appears to be sniffing white powder during Euro 2024. UEFA banned Coote from referee duties at European competitions in February for a suspension period lasting until June 30, 2026.
'I think it'd be really difficult for David to come back, I'm afraid to say," said Webb, as quoted by The Guardian. 'He is somebody that we stay in contact with, somebody who was part of our refereeing family for a long time and served the game as well for a long period of time and I've known him personally for many years. So it's sad what happened with David, but I would think it would be a challenging thing for him to come back."
'It became apparent that David had made some bad choices away from the football field. He was an employee of ours. So obviously we had to care for him and we had to try to understand why he made some of those choices and where they connected to the job that he had.
'We spoke to all of our officials as well other officials and said: 'How are you feeling about all of this?' And there was some feedback that came back from them about the support that they think they need. And then it was a good time for us to reflect on the services that we do provide within our own staff expertise."
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