The Football Association is looking into claims that referee David Coote talked about giving a yellow card before a match. The accusations focus on messages exchanged before and after Coote officiated the Championship game between Leeds and West Brom in October 2019, where he issued a yellow card to Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski. The messages, reportedly between Coote and a friend, were revealed by The Sun. After the game, Coote allegedly sent a message saying: “What a day yesterday. I hope you backed as discussed.” Coote has denied any wrongdoing.
This month, Coote was suspended by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd after being caught on video making offensive comments about Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool. Shortly after, a clip surfaced allegedly showing him sniffing what seemed to be white powder. In response to the yellow card allegations, Coote stated: “I strongly refute these false and defamatory allegations. Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life, they have never affected my decision-making on the field. I have always held the integrity of the game in the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the best of my ability.”
The Football Association commented: “These are very serious allegations and we are investigating as a matter of urgency.” PGMOL added: “The facts need to be established in light of these very serious allegations. We adopt a zero-tolerance approach to any breach of our Integrity Code of Conduct, which is signed by all match officials on an annual basis. PGMOL board is committed to taking the appropriate action should any breach of that code be proven.” David Coote remains suspended and is subject to an ongoing disciplinary process by PGMOL, separate from the FA’s independent investigation. PGMOL has stated that no further comments will be made at this stage.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
