Shamed former Premier League referee David Coote has come out as gay and revealed that a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality contributed to the X-rated rant that saw him dismissed from his post last year.
Coote was initially suspended last October after footage emerged of him mocking ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in a video that was widely shared on social media.
In an interview with The Sun, Coote 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 behaviours.”
Further photographs shared by The Sun in November, which the newspaper claimed were taken during Euro 2024, appeared to show Coote sniffing a white powder through a rolled-up bank note.
“I don’t recognise myself in the cocaine video,” added Coote.
“I can’t resonate with how I felt then, but that was me. I was struggling with the schedule and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position – escaping.
“I’ve had long periods where I’ve not used it – but it was one of the escape routes I had. Just getting away from the stresses, the relentlessness of the job. It fills me with a huge sense of shame to say that I took that route.”
What Liverpool fans have said
David Coote. That newspaper has more stuff on him. So he will have done an exclusive with them in exchange for them not printing it. It’s how they operate and it happens all the time. It’s got nothing to do with football. Just the act of a desperate man
— John Gibbons (@johngibbonsblog) January 28, 2025
As sure as night follows day #Coote https://t.co/4i4gXmsiVQ
— Andy Heaton (@Andrew_Heaton) January 27, 2025
Proper 2000’s feel to the David Coote thing; drip-feed stories to get him the sack, (almost certainly) withhold an even bigger one and use that as leverage to get the front page “exclusive”. Almost makes you feel nostalgic if it wasn’t so rancid
— . (@itwasjustbanter) January 28, 2025
David Coote doing his exclusive interviews with The S*n tells me they had some absolutely insane shit on him
— Joshua Jones (@joshuapsjones) January 28, 2025
David Coote issuing an apology to Jurgen and the fans via the scum newspaper perhaps makes it all that bit worse, how incredibly out of touch can you be ?
— Ste (@LFC92) January 27, 2025
The David Coote PR train is so obviously just a checklist to get him back in the industry. Guy’s doing apologies in an interview with The Sun? He is not sorry at all.
— Lewis (@_LewisLFC) January 28, 2025
David Coote coming out as gay is a total non story. His life, his business.
Doing an exclusive with that rag of a paper however is shithousery of the highest order.
Fucking tit.
— Ashleigh Monk (@missyash8) January 27, 2025
Coote said he and his late mother had received death threats following decisions he made on the field and cited his own example to show how relentless abuse from the stands and on social media could impact the mental health of officials.
“I’ve received death threats during my career,” Coote revealed.
“I’ve needed an accelerated response tag on my home address for me to speak to the police in an emergency. I’ve also had messages from irate supporters hoping that I had an accident on the way home from a game. I’ve struggled and I’ve tried to get through it in my own way and made poor decisions in doing so.”
In a separate statement released late on Monday night, Coote said: “This has been one of the most difficult periods of my life. I take full responsibility for my actions, which fell way below what was expected of me.
“I am truly sorry for any offence caused by my actions and for the negative spotlight, it put on the game that I love. I hope people will understand that they were private moments taken during very low times in my life. They do not reflect who I am today or what I think.
“My focus now is on continuing to prioritise my mental health and wellbeing. I hope that my experiences, both on and off the field, can be utilised in football at some point in the future.
“Finally, I want to thank everyone who has supported me recently, in particular my family, friends, former colleagues, PGMOL and Howard Webb, and countless people across football. Special thanks also to the many strangers who have reached out with words of encouragement and support, I have appreciated it more than I can properly express.”
Coote’s contract was terminated by the referee’s body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) last December following its investigation into the initial video, in which Coote, asked for his views on a Liverpool match where he has just been fourth official, describes them as “s***.”
He then describes Klopp as a “c***,” and, asked why he felt that way, Coote says the German had “a right pop at me when I reffed them against Burnley in lockdown.” He goes on to describe Klopp as “f****** arrogant” and “a German c***.”
Coote admitted he was “not sober” during the filming of the initial video, which he said had been made by a friend and that he had subsequently forgotten about.
Coote’s behaviour is under investigation by the Football Association and UEFA.
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