Eight week ban for Coote

Ex-Premier League referee David Coote has been banned for eight weeks for abusive remarks about Jurgen Klopp, with further sanctions from UEFA.

Ex-Premier League referee David Coote given eight-week ban over Jurgen Klopp comments

The Football Association announced an eight-week ban for David Coote after a video from around July 2020 surfaced in November 2024 showing him making abusive remarks about Jurgen Klopp and referencing the manager’s nationality. The ban covers all football and football related activity, and Coote was ordered to complete a face-to-face education programme. The FA said the remarks constituted an aggravated breach because they included a nationality reference, and Coote has said the words do not reflect his true feelings and expressed deep remorse. He has apologised directly to Klopp, the FA, the Professional Game Match Officials and the wider football community. Coote was also cleared in June of gambling misconduct, and PGMO terminated his employment in December, meaning he will not officiate in the Premier League again.

Separately, UEFA banned Coote until 30 June 2026 after another video emerged of him snorting a white powder while in Germany for last summer’s Euros. Coote has previously spoken about coming out as gay this year and said that his sexuality and the struggle to hide it contributed to the rant about Klopp. In a Sky News interview in January, he said: This has been one of the most difficult periods of my life. I take full responsibility for my actions, which fell way below what was expected of me. I am truly sorry for any offence caused by my actions and for the negative spotlight it put on the game that I love.

The case shows how bodies that govern football now police conduct beyond match times. An aggravated breach tied to nationality signals a zero tolerance stance on identity related slurs and is meant to protect the game’s inclusive image. Yet the spread of these moments on social media means officials can face consequences long after the whistle has blown. The coexistence of FA discipline and UEFA sanctions also exposes a patchwork approach to accountability across governing bodies, even as the end result is clear: careers can be derailed by past actions online. The broader question is whether these penalties deter other officials from engaging in similar behavior or simply push it behind the scenes until a new incident emerges. Whether fans view this as fairness or overreach will shape trust in refereeing as a profession where behavior off the pitch now matters as much as performance on it.

Highlights

Discipline in football keeps pace with the speed of social media, not with the speed of a echo chamber.