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The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have suspended referee David Coote until further notice.
PGMOL confirmed this in a statement on Monday evening.
This follows a leaked video, in which Coote described Liverpool as sh*t and insulted the club’s former manager, Jurgen Klopp.
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In the statement, PGMOL said: “David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation.
“PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete.”
Coote was the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for Liverpool’s controversial 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Anfield in December 2023.
During the Premier League clash, Martin Odegaard appeared to deny Mohamed Salah from storming into the Gunners box by handling the ball inside the 18-yard box.
Premier League referee David Coote has reportedly admitted that the video showing him disrespecting Liverpool and former manager Jurgen Klopp is real.
Coote has been suspended by the PGMOL after footage – which appears to be several years old showed him calling then Reds boss Klopp a ‘German c***’ and ‘f***ing arrogant’.
The PGMOL has launched an investigation and is looking into the possibility that it is a deep-fake or made using artificial intelligence.
However, Coote, who refereed in Liverpool’s 2-0 win against Aston Villa on Saturday, has now admitted it is genuine, according to the Daily Mirror.
However, the outlet claims it is believed that Coote does not recall the contents of the entire conversation.
The PGMOL confirmed Coote has been suspended with immediate effect in a statement on Monday.
It read: ‘David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete.’
The astonishing video, which has gone viral on social media, appears to show Coote looking worse for wear as he delivers an explicit rant about the Merseyside club.
‘Liverpool were s***,’ said the man alleged to be Coote in the video. ‘(Klopp is a) ****, absolute ****. Aside from having a right pop at me when I was refereeing them against Burnley in lockdown, he accused me of lying and then had a right f***ing pop of me.
‘I have no interest in speaking to someone who is f***ing arrogant. So I do my best not to speak to him. (James) Milner is all right, I get on with him. You can see me there with a ‘mask’ on. But, my god, German ****, f*** me.’
In a second video, the man added: ‘Just to be clear, that f***ing last video cannot go anywhere, seriously.’
The game the man alleged to be Coote is referring to in the stunning video was Liverpool’s controversial 1-1 draw with Burnley back in 2020.
In the match which saw Liverpool drop points for the first time at home that season, Andy Robertson was caught on camera angrily confronting Coote in an expletive-laden rant after not being awarded a penalty.
