Disgraced referee David Coote is unlikely to officiate in England again.
Refs boss Howard Webb has said it would be ‘very difficult’ to see a road back for the 43-year-old, who was sacked last year after making derogatory comments about Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp – and the city – in a leaked video.
In a pre-season briefing with reporters, Webb was asked by Daily Mail Sport if Coote, who was also banned by UEFA until next summer after another video emerged of him snorting a white powder during the European Championship, may ever make a return to the game.
‘I think it’d be really difficult for David to come back, I’m afraid to say,’ Webb said.
‘He is somebody that we stay in contact with, somebody who was part of our refereeing family for a long time and served the game as well for a long period of time and I’ve known him personally for many years. So it’s sad what happened with with David, but I would think it would be challenging thing for him to come back.’
Coote expressed remorse for his actions and spoke about being in a dark place at the time the videos were taken. He also said that he had hidden the fact he was gay during his career for fear of subsequent abuse.
David Coote was sacked by the PGMOL over a series of leaked videos that emerged last year. Howard Webb says it would be ‘very difficult’ for him to officiate again
Webb revealed that support had been increased for referees in the wake of what was a sad affair.
‘It became apparent that David had made some bad choices away from the football field and he was an employee of ours,’ he said.
‘So, therefore, obviously we had to care for him and we had to try to understand why he made some of those choices and where they connected to the job that he had. We spoke to all of our officials as well other officials and said “How are you feeling about all of this?”’
Webb revealed that officials hope that the scandal will prompt others to speak out, should they need support.
‘We’ve got sports psychologists and some element of mental health and well-being support,’ he said.
‘But there was a recognition that could be beefed up I think and also being able to signpost officials to places outside of our expertise where they could get support.
‘There’s maybe sometimes a sense that that’s appropriate to speak to people who aren’t involved in the organization. I don’t want officials to have a fear that if they step forward and say can we have a chat. That’s going to impact their performance and their appointments. We wanted to really emphasize to them that doing that was a sign of strength and not weakness.’
Webb added that he hoped PGMOL had learned from the furore. ‘It’s opened our eyes to the need to have those conversations on a human level almost with our officials,’ the former referee explained. ‘Over the years, I mean I’ve been there myself – you kind of traditionally you just always say I’ve got a show strength, I’ve got a show resilience. I’ve got to show that they’re not nobody’s getting to me.
Coote was seen making derogatory comments about Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and the city
Coote previously said he was in an ‘incredibly dark place’ after the footage became public
‘I’ve got a thick skin of course, you do. But I think over time you it kind of can weigh you down I think and then having that ability to speak and because our only intentions to make sure the officials go out there in the best frame of mind and feeling confident.’
He added that the help now on offer extended beyond the referees.
‘There’s unforgiveness spoken about and it can be pretty unpleasant as well and not only for the official but for the family as well,’ he said. ‘So we’re trying to ensure that the families feel supported too.’
Coote was also suspended by the FA for eight weeks following his Klopp comments – but was cleared of any gambling misconduct following claims that he discussed issuing a yellow card to a player prior to a match with a friend.
