Coote videos could have bad ramifications for refs

Making the news this week for all the wrong reasons has been Premier League referee David Coote who was suspended after a video surfaced of him appearing to make disparaging comments about former Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp.
This was followed by a separate leaked video on The Sun newspaper’s website claiming to show Coote snorting a white powder during Euro 24 where he was officiating.
If the videos are genuine it is not good news.
The referees ruling body PGMOL said it was taking all the allegations “very seriously.” Coote has already been suspended by the PGMOL while the Football Association has launched its own investigation.
Coote has been a Premier League referee since 2018 and is regarded as a top official. Ironically last Saturday he had refereed Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield without any incident.
But the video in which he makes the alleged derogatory remarks comes from some time ago. In it Coote appears to be referring to a match between Liverpool and Arsenal in 2020 when after the final whistle Klopp heavily criticised Coote’s decisions on the field.
If the video proves authentic it could do considerable damage to referees at all levels throughout England. It would renew the claims of conspiracy theorists that many referees bear grudges against certain teams and managers thus clouding their decision-making on the field.
There are already rules in place to discourage any bias by officials. All referees must declare which club, if any, they support and they are not allowed to officiate in matches involving these teams. Coote is said to be a supporter of League Two side Notts County.
The pressures on modern officials makes you wonder why anyone would want to be a ref at any level. They know they are taking on a career in which they will suffer regular verbal abuse from players, managers and fans alike. That is not a great work environment and few of us could handle it.
Former ref Graham Poll explained the situation after a World Cup match when he observed “you are out there with 22 multi-millionaires who you have to control with a whistle and two — sometimes three — cards.”
Poll was specifically referring to a match in which he mistakenly issued three cards to a Croatian player. He quit refereeing after that.
One thing that really upsets refs is when they are accused of favouring one team over another. In 1989 Arsenal defender Tony Adams reportedly suggested referee David Elleray was a cheat. Elleray later responded “we may be useless, but we are not cheats.”
Just like players and managers, the refs make mistakes of varying magnitude although these days they are helped, or some might say hindered, by VAR.
On the lighter side, criticism can come from unexpected quarters. After a match at Stoke, referee Barry Knight found a little old lady waiting outside the dressing room. He smiled at her and she responded:”Mr Knight, I am 74 and a grandmother and I would just like to say you’re the worst [expletive] referee I have ever seen.”
Refs can’t even rely on support from their own family. Neil Midgely recalled that at his debut game in the top flight his wife who was at the match, said that after several controversial decisions everyone sitting around her stood up and started giving her husband rude V signs. Not wanting to appear the odd one out she also stood up and joined in with her own V sign.