David Coote: FA investigating referee over Leeds yellow card allegations

The Football Association said it was investigating claims that referee David Coote discussed giving a yellow card to a fan ahead of the Championship match.

Coote, 42, said he denied the new allegations, calling them “false and defamatory allegations.”

The referee is currently under investigation by the FA and has been suspended by refereeing body Professional Game Match Authors Limited (PGMOL) and European football’s governing body UEFA following separate allegations about his conduct.

A new report in the Sun newspaper on Tuesday alleged that Coote had texted a fan before and after a match between Leeds and West Brom in 2019, discussing the awarding of a yellow card.

The exchange refers to the yellow card Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski received from Coote in the match. There is no suggestion that Coote will receive any financial gain and the booking is considered entirely correct.

The contents of the report have not been confirmed by the BBC.

“I strongly deny these false and defamatory allegations,” Coote said in a statement. he said.

“The problems I experienced in my personal life never affected my decision-making process on the field.

“I always showed the highest respect for the integrity of the game, managing matches impartially and to the best of my ability.”

Coote is one of the Premier League’s most experienced referees and has been refereeing top-flight matches since 2018.

The FA told the BBC: “These are very serious allegations and we are investigating urgently.”

PGMOL said it took a “zero tolerance approach” to any breach of its code of conduct.

The statement said, “In light of these very serious allegations, the facts need to be revealed.”

“We take a zero-tolerance approach to any breach of our integrity code of conduct, which is signed annually by all match officials.

“The PGMOL Board is committed to taking appropriate action should any violation of these rules be proven.

“David Coote has been suspended by PGMOL and remains subject to an ongoing disciplinary process, separate from the investigation into this matter, which will be conducted independently by the FA.”

Coote was initially suspended by PGMOL on 11 November, pending a full investigation, after a video emerged showing him making derogatory comments about former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp – the FA launched an investigation on 12 November.

On November 13, the Sun published photos it said were taken during this summer’s European Championships, which it claimed showed Coote sniffing a white powder from inside a rolled-up US banknote.

Coote was working as a match official at the Euros.

PGMOL said it took these allegations “very seriously” and launched an investigation.

European football’s governing body UEFA also launched its own investigation and suspended Coote.

Neither the images nor the video have been independently verified by the BBC.

Last week PGMOL said Coote’s welfare was “important to us” as the investigation into his conduct continues.