Premier League referee David Coote's past interactions with Jurgen Klopp have come under scrutiny after a leaked video allegedly showed him referring to Liverpool as "s***" and Klopp as a "German c***". Coote, who officiated a match as recently as Saturday, has been suspended following the online circulation of the video.
He was in charge when Liverpool, now managed by Arne Slot, defeated Aston Villa at Anfield, further cementing their position at the top of the Premier League table.
A PGMOL statement confirmed: "David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation," adding that there would be no further comment until the investigation is complete.
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The FA is also conducting an investigation, and Liverpool has been approached for a response. Coote has overseen eight Liverpool matches across all competitions, with all but the most recent occurring during Klopp's tenure at the Merseyside club.
He has also served as VAR and fourth official for other Reds games and been involved in several controversial moments, where he has risked the wrath of Klopp.
During the 2023-24 season's match between Liverpool and Arsenal, a significant incident occurred when the home team at Anfield was denied a penalty after Martin Odegaard was accused handled the ball in the Arsenal area. Chris Kavanagh was the on-field referee, with Coote serving as VAR, and neither deemed it a penalty-worthy offence.
In a post-match interview, Klopp vented his frustration about an officiating decision. "Yes, I have seen it," Klopp said. "I am pretty sure someone will come to explain it to me why it was not a handball but I don't know how?
"I don't say that the ref can see it because I don't know where he was in that moment. But how can a guy in an office see that and not come to the conclusion that maybe, possibly, it could be worth the referee having another look?"
PGMOL head Howard Webb later weighed in on the controversy, admitting a mistake had been made. As detailed in Match Officials Mic'd Up, Webb explained: "The VAR looked at it and thought it was a case of Odegaard trying to make himself smaller by bringing the arm back towards the body."
However, Webb acknowledged the situation's nuance: "That's the element that's important here - whether it's instinctive or deliberate he gets a huge advantage by bringing the arm back towards the ball, and the feedback we got back was very clear; the game expects a penalty, in this situation. I would agree, and as such I think this was one that didn't reach the right outcome."
Tthe first time Coote refereed Klopp's Liverpool was in July 2020 during a match against Burnley. It was a challenging game for Klopp's side, ending in a 1-1 draw which denied them a perfect home record for the season.
Andy Robertson reportedly confronted the referee audibly, and Klopp did not hold back in his post-match remarks either.
Klopp expressed his dissatisfaction with referee Coote's oversight, claiming he "let a lot of challenges go" during the match, while also acknowledging his team's lack of clinical finishing. Meanwhile, Robertson was incensed with the official, caught on camera exclaiming: "How's that not a penalty is a disgrace. How the f*** is that not a penalty? You didn't see f****** anything.
"You didn't see anything the whole game apart from f****** booking them in the last minute. F*** me. What's the point in having you in the middle? What's the point in having you? F*** me. Honestly."
In the 2020-21 season opener, the Merseyside derby saw Coote in charge of VAR, which turned out to be contentious. Everton's Richarlison received a red card for a challenge on Thiago, but it was two other incidents that particularly irked Klopp and led Liverpool to call for an inquiry.
The first involved a tackle by Jordan Pickford on Virgil van Dijk, resulting in an ACL injury for the Liverpool defender, sidelining him for the season. Although Van Dijk was offside, thus negating a penalty, Coote did not issue a red card to Pickford for what many considered dangerous play.
Additionally, a close offside decision in the final moments denied Liverpool a late winner, following a lengthy VAR review, leaving Klopp visibly frustrated post-match.
Klopp expressed his frustration over the handling of Van Dijk's injury, stating: "We can't change this now," and added, "I spoke the day after and it's hard for us as Virgil is our boy. It is difficult to take because the referee doesn't see it.
"Michael Oliver is an excellent referee but he had the best view. Then VAR forgets the rules.
"As a human, I don't want to see Everton players punished, but we all agree if you do something wrong, you have to deal with consequences. Right now there are only two people suffering with the consequences and they are Virgil and Thiago."
In the Carabao Cup clash between Liverpool and Manchester City in December 2022, where Coote officiated and City won 3-2, Klopp highlighted the absence of VAR: "If we have VAR, the refs are used to VAR and all of a sudden you tell them no... it looked like in a couple of situations they were waiting for or thinking VAR was still there but there was nothing.
"There were a couple of offside decisions where everybody in the stadium was convinced it was offside, I don't know if it was in the end or not, and we couldn't watch it back.
"It makes sense if you play a competition and everywhere has VAR then why shouldn't you? I understand in earlier rounds when it's maybe not possible at all levels. But it's City against Liverpool and I think all the technical things are here, so why shouldn't we use it?"
