This is the story of a video that came out of nowhere which did not allow England, finally on a football break for a few days during this international break week, to afford a short football nap. This Monday, David Coote was the name hanging on the lips of the entire Premier League ecosystem and not really for a good reason. The 42-year-old English referee, who today officiates in the elite of English football, was even suspended from his duties by the PGMOL, the association of English professional referees, while UEFA for its part opened an investigation, this Wednesday, about him since Coote notably officiated during the last Euro 2024. But why the hell is the sky falling on the head of poor David Coote? The fault lies in two videos published on social networks and by the English media which completely changed the upward trajectory of the man with the whistle.
“A German bastard and a pretentious person”
The first video extract which sheds light on the person concerned is this amateur video where David Coote appears alongside a certain Ben Kitt. A former cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club until the end of 2018, and now works for Forsyth Barnes, an executive search firm based on Friar Lane, Nottingham. A town in the Midlands where the name Coote is no stranger since his father, a certain David Edward Coote, also played cricket. Alongside Ben and his tired banana at the end of the day, David goes there without filter and bat in hand to smash his world, in the style of Serge Aurier a few years earlier via Periscope. Liverpool? “It’s shit”. Jurgen Klopp? “A German bastard and a pretentious person”. Before ending on the tastiest part: “Okay, just to be clear, we agree that this video won't be published anywhere, right? » Lost, David.
If the video seems to date from a few years ago – it could have been filmed a few days after a Liverpool-Burnley in July 2020 during the Covid period – the storm which thunders above the Englishman's head does not appear is not stopped at a single roar. Published by the tabloid The Suna second video dated by the English site to July 6, the day after France-Portugal where he officiated as a VAR referee, shows a person who would be Coote doing coke with a bank note next to a book by Terry Hayes, entitled The Year of The Locust (The Year of the Locustin VO). Not really the picture dreamed of and imagined by UEFA officials for its guarantors of the game.
Since then, all British and European institutional players have taken up the matter, indicating through various spokespersons that they take the matter very seriously. If he has not spoken publicly since the start of the affair, David Coote would have recognized the authenticity of the first video in which he pays the Reds and Liverpool according to the Daily Mirror. « We are aware of the allegations and take them very seriously. David Coote remains suspended pending a full investigation, assured a spokesperson for the English refereeing body for Sky. David's welfare continues to be of the utmost importance to us and we are committed to providing him with the necessary support he needs during this time. We are unable to make any further comments at this stage. » It's hard to imagine seeing him referee again one day at the highest level if all this were confirmed, especially not in the Premier League, where David Coote seems to have put an end to his brilliant career as a referee. With great panache, it’s true.
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