Howard Webb thinks a return to refereeing for David Coote is unlikely

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Referees’ chief Howard Webb believes David Coote’s career is almost certainly over.

Former Premier League match official Coote was on Tuesday given an eight-week suspension by the Football Association over abusive words he used about ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

He was sacked by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December, a month after the video filmed in July 2020 came to light.

The 43-year-old has a potential route back into football after the FA said he would be free to officiate again after serving the ban and completing an education programme.

But PGMOL boss Webb feels that is unlikely.

“I think it’d be really difficult for David to come back, I’m afraid to say,” said Webb.

“He’s somebody that we stayed in contact with, somebody who was part of our refereeing family for a long time and served the game for a long period of time and I’ve known him personally for many years.

“It’s sad what happened with David but I think it would be challenging for him to come back.”

Coote’s misconduct was defined as an aggravated breach under the FA’s rules because there was a reference to Klopp’s nationality.

In the video, he described Klopp as a “German c***” and said he was “f****** arrogant”.

Coote was banned by European football’s governing body UEFA until June 30, 2026 after a different video emerged of him snorting a white powder through a bank note while in Germany for Euro 2024.

In January, Coote came out as gay and said a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to the rant about Klopp and his drug use.

Webb said PGMOL has reviewed and “beefed up” its support for match officials and their families in the wake of Coote’s downfall.

“When it became apparent David had made some bad choices away from the football field, we had to care for him and we had to try to understand why he’d made some of those choices and were they connected to the job,” said Webb.

“We spoke to all of our officials and there was some feedback from them about the support that they think they need.

“It was a good time for us to reflect on the services that we do provide.

“We’ve got sports psychologists and some element of mental health and wellbeing and support. But there was a recognition that could be beefed up.”

Webb, who took charge of the 2010 Champions League and World Cup finals before retiring in 2014, encouraged match officials to be open about personal issues.

“I don’t want officials to have a fear that if they step forward and say, ‘can we have a chat?’ that that’s going to impact their appointments,” said the 54-year-old.

“We wanted to really emphasise to them that doing that was a sign of strength and not weakness.

“I think we’ve made good ground over the last few months in that respect because we’ve probably not had those conversations previously. I think we’ve had a few of them since.

“Having been there myself, traditionally you’d say I’ve got to show strength, I’ve got to show nobody’s getting to me, I’ve got a thick skin. But I think over time it can weigh you down.”

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