Premier League referee David Coote has been suspended after a video appeared to show him making derogatory comments about Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool FC.
In the footage, the 42-year-old allegedly uses an expletive to describe the former Liverpool manager.
Klopp left Liverpool in the summer after almost nine years in charge of the Merseyside club.
Refereeing body PGMOL says the suspension comes into force with immediate effect and is pending a full investigation, BBC Sport reports.
BREAKING: The PGMOL have confirmed that David Coote has been suspended pending full investigation pic.twitter.com/e2ubZy8113
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 11, 2024
In a statement, they said: "David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete."
What did David Coote allegedly say in the video?
The video has been widely shared on social media but it is unclear when it was filmed or how authentic it is.
The comments made in the video appear to refer to a Premier League match that Coote officiated between Liverpool and Burnley in July 2020, which finished 1-1.
Klopp criticised Coote after the match, saying the referee failed to give fouls for challenges made on Liverpool's players.
PGMOL is investigating a video circulating on social media which appears to show referee David Coote making derogatory comments about Liverpool and the club's former manager Jurgen Klopp.
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 11, 2024
He has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation.#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/WZT6dJr5VY
In the video, it appears that Coote is asked for his views on a Liverpool match where he has just been fourth official, and describes them as “s***”.
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He then uses an offensive term to describe Klopp, and asked why he felt that way about the German, Coote says the German had “a right pop at me when I reffed them against Burnley in lockdown” and had accused him of lying.
“I have got no interest in speaking to someone who’s f****** arrogant, so I do my best not to speak to him,” Coote says.
Coote was the official for Liverpool's most recent Premier League game – a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday night (November 9).
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