New Delhi, Nov 14
PGMOL, England’s professional referees organisation, said it is aware of a new video, which appears to show suspended Premier League referee David Coote snorting a white powder while reportedly officiating at Euro 2024 last summer, and is taking the allegations very seriously.
The eight-second clip published by The Sun, came after Coote was suspended by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) over derogatory comments he allegedly made about ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and the club in previous video footage.
Later, UEFA Referees Committee also suspended Coote until further notice ahead of the upcoming round of UEFA matches. "The UEFA Referees Committee immediately suspended David Coote until further notice on 11 November - in advance of the upcoming round of UEFA matches - when it became aware of his inappropriate behaviour," it said in a statement.
On Wednesday evening (UK time), when another video appeared on The Sun newspaper’s website, which it claimed showed Coote snorting white powder during the summer’s Euros in Germany, a PGMOL, told Sky Sports, "We are aware of the allegations and are taking them very seriously. David Coote remains suspended pending a full investigation.
"David’s welfare continues to be of utmost importance to us and we are committed to providing him with the ongoing necessary support he needs through this period. We are not in a position to comment further at this stage."
Earlier, the FA has launched its own investigation into the video that appears to show Premier League referee Coote using foul language to describe former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and the club.