Former Premier League referee David Coote has been given an eight-week suspension by the Football Association and ordered to attend an education programme for making disparaging comments about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Coote was dismissed by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) in December after a video emerged on social media the previous month showing him making derogatory remarks about Klopp and Liverpool in 2020.
The FA said on Tuesday that Coote’s offence constituted an “aggravated breach” of rule E3.2 due to his reference to Klopp’s German nationality.
Written reasons for the verdict noted that Coote had expressed “deep remorse” and admitted his comments were “crass and inappropriate.”
Coote was charged in June, but the FA confirmed he would face no further action over separate allegations of gambling misconduct, which he had denied and which were found to be unsubstantiated.
The 41-year-old has faced further controversy in recent years, with UEFA banning him from all officiating activities until June 2026 after a video appeared in November showing him snorting white powder, reportedly during Euro 2024.
In a January interview, Coote publicly came out as gay, saying that the pressure of hiding his sexuality had contributed to poor decisions in his personal and professional life.