Former Premier League referee David Coote has been charged by the Football Association (FA) regarding comments he made about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. The charges stem from a video recorded in July 2020 but which surfaced on social media in November 2024, leading to Coote's dismissal by the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) in December.

The FA alleges that Coote's remarks were improper, abusive, and insulting, violating FA Rule E3.1. Furthermore, the FA asserts that Coote's behavior constitutes an "aggravated breach" of FA Rule E3.2, as the comments included reference, whether express or implied, to nationality. One specific comment concerned Klopp's nationality, leading to the "aggravated breach" claim.

The video in question allegedly captured Coote making derogatory comments about Klopp, including describing him as "f** arrogant" and a "German c*". The remarks seemingly referenced a Premier League match between Liverpool and Burnley in July 2020, where Coote officiated, and Klopp reportedly accused him of lying after the game.

Following the emergence of the video, PGMOL launched an investigation and subsequently terminated Coote's employment, deeming his position "untenable." It was reported that Coote accepted the video's authenticity but claimed to have no recollection of the discussion's content, stating it was recorded several years prior.

In addition to the FA charge, Coote faced other allegations. UEFA banned Coote until June 30, 2026, for violating "the basic rules of decent conduct" and bringing "the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute," stemming from a separate video that allegedly showed him using cocaine during the European Championship. Allegations of gambling misconduct against Coote were also investigated, but no charges were issued. Coote had denied any wrongdoing regarding the gambling allegations.

In January 2025, Coote came out as gay in an interview and spoke about his struggles with hiding his sexuality and its contribution to his behavior. He said, "My sexuality isn't the only reason that led me to be in that position. But I'm not telling an authentic story if I don't say that I'm gay and that I've had real struggles with hiding that. I hid my emotions as a young ref, and I hid my sexuality as well — a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being. And that's led me to a whole course of behaviors." He also spoke about experiencing panic attacks and seeking therapy to cope with the situation.