The Premier League referee who appeared to call Jurgen Klopp a “German whore” has damaged the reputation of referees but they are not corrupt, a former colleague has said.
Peter Walton says David Coote’s viral video was out of line. Walton was a Premier League referee until 2012, during which time Coote was refereeing in the Football League.
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Credit: X / @AnfieldEdition
“The video, at first glance, is shocking. “There are some Premier League referees who I consider to be more relaxed and more youthful in their behavior away from the public spotlight,” Walton wrote in a column for The times. “David is not one of them. I would have described him as a no-nonsense captain. None of the boys. Unlike some referees, he is rarely seen laughing and joking with the players during matches.”
Coote has been a Premier League referee since 2018 and, pending an investigation, his future as a referee now seems to be in serious doubt.
‘David would have been warned about social media’
“If PGMOL eventually discovers that the video is as serious as it appears, the discipline David will face will be severe, but this episode will also damage the reputation of Premier League referees in general,” Walton said. “I am absolutely sure that our referees are not corrupt; What worries me is the current level of arbitrage, but conspiracy theorists will seize on something like this.
“David will have been warned, as all referees have been since the early 2000s, about the risks of social media and the need to project a respectful image in public or when there is the possibility that someone is recording you this way.”
The images, which emerged after Coote took over Liverpool win 2-0 in the Premier League against Aston Villa on Saturday, appears to show the referee speaking after Liverpool’s 7-2 win by the same opponents in October 2020.
When his teammate asks him what he thinks “of the Liverpool game before, when you were the fourth official,” the man in the video replies: “Liverpool was shit.”
He is then asked what he thinks of Klopp, to which he replies: “B—. Absolute shit.”
Former Chief referee Keith Hackett.writing in sport telegraphHe said: “Coote’s comments made it a sad day for the referees and if the Football Association and PGMOL find him guilty they will have no choice but to impose the harshest punishment, because if they don’t it will undermine the football world’s faith in him. arbitration will be ruined. receive a hard blow.”