Suspended Premier League referee David Coote is being investigated by the FA for allegedly giving a player a yellow card to assist a friend in winning a bet.
According to messages obtained by The Sun newspaper, Coote allegedly told a friend, “I hope you backed as discussed,” just hours after issuing a yellow card to Leeds United‘s Ezgjan Alioski during a 2019 Championship match.
While Coote denies any wrongdoing, both the FA and the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) are carrying out investigations.
The match in question was Leeds’ 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion in October 2019. Coote was reportedly in contact with a friend before and after the game regarding a bet. According to The Sun, the friend suggested Coote should book Alioski during the match to place a bet on it.
Coote reportedly texted his friend saying, “Leeds tomorrow,” to which the friend replied, “Big game. Are we still on for what we discussed? Maybe I could join you.”
Coote responded, “Haha don’t know what you mean.”
The friend then wrote, “I’m going to back it in the morning, don’t let me down,” and Coote replied, “Haha will see.”
The day after Alioski was booked for a foul, Coote messaged, “What a day yesterday. I hope you backed as discussed.”
The friend said he didn’t bet, but another friend had. Coote responded, “Haha, he’ll have to share with you then.”
Coote denies the allegations, telling The Sun: “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.”
At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that Coote financially benefited from any actions during Leeds’ match.
In response to the news, Leeds issued a statement: “Leeds United are aware of the allegations regarding the conduct of a match official, involving our EFL Championship fixture with West Bromwich Albion in October 2019.
“We respect and have full confidence in the FA, EFL, and PGMOL regulations and processes. We will be making no further comment at this time.”
Other scandals
This development, as serious as the allegations, is only the tip of the iceberg for Coote. At the beginning of the month, The Sun received a video of the referee using defamatory language to describe the former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, this led the PGMOL to suspend Coot until further notice.
A video later surfaced showing the English referee snorting a white powder in a hotel room during the Euro 2024 tournament, where he was officiating. Following this, the European football governing body UEFA suspended Coote until further notice.
Regarding the latest allegation, a PGMOL spokesman stated: “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 annually.
“The 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 investigation into this matter, which will be conducted independently by the FA. We will be making no further comment at this stage.”
