Suspended Premier League referee David Coote has been engulfed in yet another scandal.
He is now facing a Football Association (FA) gambling investigation after The Sun acquired messages that involved him discussing a bet on a yellow card before he took charge of a match.
The messages quote Coote telling a friend “I hope you backed as discussed” following a match in which he booked Leeds United left-back Ezgjan Alioski in the October 2019 championship fixture.
The video below shows the tackle in question, which sees Alisoki collide with West Brom’s Darnell Furlong by the corner flag in the 18th minute of the game.
He wasn’t incorrect in fairness 😂 pic.twitter.com/xcA1dbz2UO
— Danny White (@dannywhite93) November 27, 2024
Coote has denied any wrongdoing, however, both the FA and refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) are now conducting further inquiries.
According to The Sun, a friend of Coote jokingly told him ahead of the game, which Leeds won 1-0, to show a yellow card to Alioski so he could bet on it.
When informed that Coote was taking charge of the Leeds game, the friend replied: “Ooh big game. We still on for what we discussed [Alioski]. Maybe I could join if so.”
Coote responded: “Haha don’t know what you mean”
The friend then posted: “Haha well I’m off to back it in the morning so don’t let me down”.
Coote answered: “Haha will see”.
The day after the game, Coote messaged his friend and reportedly said: “What a day yesterday. I hope you backed as discussed.”
According to The Sun, the friend then tells him that he did not put money on it but he believes another friend “backed it though”.
Coote then replied: “Haha he will have to share with you then.”
Coote is believed to accept a discussion took place, but claims it was “banter” and nothing untoward took place.
Breaking his silence on the matter, he told The Sun: “Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision-making on the field. I have always held the integrity of the game in the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the best of my ability.”
FA and PGMOL respond
Responding to the latest allegations, the FA confirmed to Telegraph Sport that inquiries are underway.
“These are very serious allegations and we are investigating as a matter of urgency,” an FA statement said.
The PGMOL added: “The facts need to be established in light of these very serious allegations. We adopt a zero-tolerance approach to any breach of our Integrity Code of Conduct, which is signed by all match officials on an annual basis.
“PGMOL Board is committed to taking the appropriate action should any breach of that code be proven. David Coote remains suspended and subject to an ongoing disciplinary process by PGMOL, separate to the investigation into this matter, which will be carried out independently by the FA. We will be making no further comment at this stage.”
Latest controversy
The gambling probe is just the latest controversy against the Premier League referee.
Earlier this month, an old video emerged of him making disparaging comments about the former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Empire of the Kop sources have obtained footage (now widely circulated online) of video clips which appear to show David Coote indulging in a foul-mouthed rant about Jurgen Klopp in which he repeatedly used inflammatory language to defame the ex-Liverpool manager: pic.twitter.com/5X2znVudII
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) November 11, 2024
In the video, he can be seen repeatedly calling the German a “c***” and also brands him as “f****** arrogant”. Days later a second video emerged of him appearing to snort a white powder.
The PGMOL suspended Coote over the rant and he was also suspended by UEFA on 11 November.
