Former referee David Coote given eight-week ban for Jurgen Klopp ‘German c***’ comments

David Coote has been banned by Uefa until June 2026

Former Premier League referee David Coote has been handed an eight-week suspension over abusive words he used about ex-Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp.

Coote has also been told to attend an education programme.

The 43-year-old was sacked last December by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) after the comments about Klopp came to light in a video circulated on social media last November.

One of those remarks referenced Klopp’s nationality, and the FA said that constituted an alleged ‘aggravated breach’ under its rules.

The English FA charged Coote in June, which he subsequently admitted.

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

Coote was also in February banned by European football's governing body Uefa until June 2026 after a different video emerged of him snorting a white powder through a bank note while in Germany for last summer's Euros.

In January, Coote came out as gay in an interview with The Sun and said that a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to the rant about Klopp.

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