The frustrated referee David Coote has been banned from operating in any UEFA game by the end of June 2026, after being filmed from cocaine during Euro 2024.
Coote was fired from the December of the Premier League referee in December after the release of a video in which he used a derogatory language to describe Liverpool and their former boss Jurgen Klopp.
A second video showed that Coote Snorting a white dust through a bank note that later admitted it was the drug.
The law was allegedly held at a UEFA hotel, the day after Coote was able to VAR for the four -month period between France and Portugal.
A UEFA disciplinary release today confirmed its ratification.
He said he “violated the basic rules of decent behavior” and “brought the sport of football and in particular UEFA and banned it for 16 months.
Coote blames the anxiety of hiding sexuality
Coote later explained that his actions were caused by the anxiety of hiding his homosexuality.
He said in the sun, the paper he had previously exposed: “He said,” My sexuality is not the only reason that led me to be in this position. But I’m not telling an authentic story if I’m not telling I’m gay and that I had real struggles by hiding it.
“I closed my feelings as a young reference and hid my sexuality – a good quality as a referee, but a terrible quality as a human being. And that led me to a whole course of behaviors.”
In the video that saw him call Klopp AC ***, he said: “I recognize that (his observations) fell very close to standards expected by a maximum referee and deeply sorry saying what I said. The comments do not reflect my views on any of the people who are of interest to me.”
Coote received the support of former colleague
Mark Halsey, who retired from the arbitration in 2013 after a 14 -year Premier League career, said Coote’s sincerity should be recognized.
He told the BBC Radio 5 Live last month: “He comes out and takes full responsibility for his actions, he does not excuses, he assumes full responsibility.
“He’s a man, we all make mistakes in life. Everyone makes mistakes in life and deserve a second chance and no one should go through what David is going through. I really feel about him. When the referees gather, we all said things about players or managers.”
Coote has been threatened online and Halsey said he could like to suffer in the hands of the trumpets during his career.
“He has made some mistakes and is not worth the threat of death,” he added. “I had threats of death before my family, my wife who was fighting leukemia. They wanted to see us dead with cancer returning. Some of the things they wanted to do to my young daughter were just horrifying.”
‘We all knew about David’s sexuality’
Asked what the reaction would have been as a gay, while he was still a referee, Halsey said: “It would be very difficult. It shouldn’t be so. We all knew (colleagues referees) about David’s sexuality.
“Society today is stinking and it is good that David has taken his friends and family to show him the love and company he has to take through it. I hope PGMOL helps him through it.”
2025-02-28 14:52:00
