Saudi Arabia could offer an escape route for David Coote – should the under-fire referee end up with the sack.
Officials from refs’ body PGMOL are continuing to investigate the 42-year-old after a shock video, in which he calls Jurden Klopp a ‘German ****’ and Liverpool ‘s***’ was leaked online.
They have now been joined by the FA, which has launched its own probe that could lead to an aggravated misconduct charge as references to a person’s nationality can lead to sanctions. UEFA, meanwhile, will not select Coote for European matches while both investigations are ongoing.
Verdicts are expected in the near future and if Coote gets the red card – with many viewing his position as untenable – he may be seek to resurrect his career in the Middle East.
Earlier this year, PGMOL stopped giving permission to its refs to head overseas, ending what had been a popular additional revenue stream. Clubs and fans had been vocal with criticism after it emerged a number of officials had taken one-off jobs abroad.
David Coote described Jurgen Klopp as a ‘German ****’ in a foul-mouthed tirade during the video and has since been suspended by refereeing chiefs PGMOL while they investigate
Coote (left) tells the camera ‘that f***ing last video cannot go anywhere’ in the second video uploaded online while the man identified as Kitt (right) says ‘let’s not ‘f***ing ruin his career’
Michael Oliver (right) was paid £3,000 and given business class flights when he travelled to Saudi Arabia to referee a top-flight match between Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal
Michael Oliver was paid £3,000 and given business class flights when he travelled to Saudi Arabia to referee a top-flight match between Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.
That fee was roughly double what Oliver would command for a Premier League fixture and others followed his move before chief refereeing officer Howard Webb said approval would only be given should there be a ‘development opportunity’ for officials – such as younger refs – to gain valuable experience.
Officials at the Saudi Pro League are keen to continue to raise standards, and bringing in referees from overseas is commonplace. However, those close to the competition say there is a sensitivity around the league being seen as ‘a dumping ground’ for those who have experienced problems elsewhere.
They would have to be satisfied that the benefit of bringing in someone with Coote’s experience outweigh the negatives of the background.
In the clip, which surfaced on Monday and appears to be taken from the 2020-21 season, Coote claimed that then-Liverpool boss Klopp was ‘arrogant’ and had accused him of lying after a 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Burnley in 2020.
Mail Sport revealed that the man who appeared in the video with Coote is said to be a former county cricketer who works in recruitment. Sources named the man sat alongside the referee as Ben Kitt, who once had a two-year contract with Nottinghamshire. They added that the video was posted on a Notts WhatsApp group and that Kitt was ‘devastated’ by the leak.
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