David Coote He has been in the news since a few weeks ago he was suspended in England for a video in which he appeared to be clearly insulting Jürgen Klopp and his then team, Liverpool. The referee, who was punished for the mess that took place during the 2021-22 campaign, has recently been involved again in a new scandal reported by ‘The Sun’.
The English portal now reports that Coote will be in the spotlight for another disturbing thing: he agreed with a friend to show a yellow card during Leeds-West Bromwich in October 2019. It is stated that the referee exchanged text messages with a ‘friend’ in which it was suggested that Leeds player Ezgjan Alioski would receive a yellow during the clash at Elland Road.
In fact, in that match, Alioski was booked in the 18th minute and the FA is now investigating the matter. “These are very serious allegations and we are vigorously investigating them,” a statement read. Apparently, the next morning, Coote sent a message to his ‘friend’ to say: “What a day yesterday. Hope you see we’re done talking.”
According to a report by The Sun, Coote has denied any wrongdoing and there is no indication that the referee profited. The decision to show the yellow card was deemed correct by the referee due to the nature of the offense committed by Alioski. Coote, who insisted there was nothing unusual about that message, says he was only “joking” with his friend.
The ‘friend’ is said to be interested in that yellow to favor a bet he made. The referee, who has been England’s elite for more than five years, has been suspended by the FA and UEFA and has not refereed for several weeks. A spokesperson for the Premier League referee association told Sky Sports that these facts need to be clarified as they are very serious accusations.
“We have a zero tolerance policy for any breach of our code of integrity and conduct, which all referees sign annually. The PGMOL (professional referee body) is committed to taking appropriate action if any breach of the code that it is proven”.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
