Head of The Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL) Howard Webb has broken his silence on the now-infamous video allegedly involving Premier League referee David Coote.
Appearing on Mic’d Up, the show in which Webb assess controversial referee calls, Webb addressed the footage involving Coote when speaking to former Everton midfielder Leon Osman.
Speaking about the incident, he said: “We became aware of a video that’s been circulated on social media that we are taking very seriously. We’ve instigated a full investigation.
“One of our referees David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect, pending the outcome of that investigation. And there’s not much more I can say at this stage until we work through that investigation.”
PGMOL and the Football Association have launched separate investigations into the video, in which a man is seen to make derogatory comments about Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp. Coote has been suspended with the investigations are carried out.
The footage shows a male call Liverpool “s***” and calling Jurgen Klopp a “German c***” while he at one stage holding up a photograph on a phone seeming to show Klopp, James Milner and an official with a mask on. It appears as though the video might have been recorded during lockdown.
Coote presided over Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday evening. The official has taken charge of eight matches involving Liverpool, with a 15-month gap between his first encounter in July 2020 and second in October 2021.
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READ MORE:Mike Dean reveals David Coote text and breaks silence on alleged Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp rant
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean said he had been in touch with Coote since the footage first emerged. He questions whether the 42-year-old will want to return to officiating, if the video is indeed verified.
“I texted him yesterday – he’s still a colleague in a way – just to see how he was. And he replied with a message that I wouldn’t disclose to anybody,” Dean told Sky Sports on Tuesday.
“But he’ll be devastated today, like most of the referees will be devastated that somebody has actually gone and done this video.” Dean went on to suggest: “I don’t think he’s damaged his career beyond repair.
“I’d like to think they [PGMOL] can come to some agreement and it also depends on what’s gone on with David, with all this media attention, would David want to still carry on refereeing?
“That’s the bigger picture you have got to think of. It doesn’t just affect David but his friends and his family as well, so does he want to put himself through it yet again?
“And obviously it will hard to come back and start his refereeing career again whether it’s in the Championship to start with then get back into the Premier League. It will be a hard step for him to come back.”
