Andy Robertson's expletive rant at David Coote following Liverpool's Burnley draw in 2020
David Coote has been suspended pending investigation into a video released on social media.
Premier League referee David Coote has been suspended following the circulation of a bombshell video on social media. The clip appears to show Coote making offensive remarks about Liverpool and former manager Jurgen Klopp in an expletive conversation with another unnamed individual.
The footage has been circulating at a rapid pace and was viewed millions of times in a matter of hours. In the video, Coote appears to blast Klopp as ‘f***ing arrogant’ and a ‘German c***’, while describing Liverpool as ‘sh**’.
The date of when the video was filmed and its authenticity is unconfirmed. However, shortly after it was posted, refereeing body PGMOL issued the following statement: “David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete.”
Coote has since accepted the video is genuine but does not recall the context of the discussion that was held several years ago, as reported by The Mirror.
In the clip, Coote appears to reference the match between Liverpool and Burnley that he officiated in 2020. The match sparked huge frustration from the Liverpool players and fans after Andy Robertson was denied a penalty late on, which would have secured their 100 percent home record if the spot-kick was converted.
Instead, Liverpool were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw, denying them the opportunity to finish the season with what would have been a record 101 points. After the match, Klopp criticised Coote, claiming the officials had failed to give fouls on his players, while Robertson also fired a furious outburst towards the 42-year-old.
Frustrated and angry over the no penalty decision, the Scotland captain did not hold back with his response to Coote, with videos of his rant doing the rounds online.
“You didn’t see f***ing anything. You didn’t see anything the whole game apart from f***ing booking them in the last minute. F*** me. What’s the point in having you in the middle? What’s the point in having you? F*** me. Honestly.”
The defender could have been faced with a fine or a ban for his outburst but the FA confirmed that the report submitted by Coote did not reference the comments made by Robertson or Klopp, so he avoided any further action taken against him.
At this point in Liverpool’s title-winning season, the trophy was already wrapped up but they were aiming for a perfect record on home soil. After Robertson opened the scoring, Burnley’s Jay Rodriguez scored the equaliser and then the left-back was denied his chance to win a penalty for the potential winner.