Former Premier League referee David Coote pleads guilty to making indecent image of child

Coote was officially charged in August following an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police. The allegations being made against him are of the most serious kind when it comes to indecent images of children. The 43-year-old - who hails from Collingham in Nottinghamshire - will be back in court later in the year.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charge at a hearing on September 10 at Nottingham Magistrates' Court. That stance has now been changed, with Coote - who wore a navy suit and black tie - speaking only to confirm his name and enter his plea during a six-minute hearing on October 14.

He stood in front of Judge Nirmal Shant KC. She informed Coote that she was ordering a pre-sentence report to be carried out before any proceedings begin in that department. Jude Shant told the court: “You have pleaded guilty to a serious matter. Whether this means custody or not will be decided when all the information is before the court, which is why I have ordered a pre-sentence report.”

After entering his latest plea, Coote is due back in court on December 11, 2025. Judge Shant added in relation to the charge of making an indecent image of a child - which refers to activities such as downloading, sharing or saving photos or videos containing abuse: “You must not go away with the impression that this will not lead to a custodial sentence.”

Coote has endured a troubled time of late, with the emergence of a video online that showed him making derogatory comments about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp leading to his sacking by the PGMOL in 2024.

A statement from Professional Game Match Officials Limited read: "Following the conclusion of a thorough investigation into David Coote's conduct, his employment with PGMOL has been terminated today with immediate effect.

“David Coote's actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable. Supporting David Coote continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare. David Coote has a right to appeal the decision to terminate his employment.”

Coote, who also featured in a video showing him apparently snorting a white powder at Euro 2024, came out as gay in January 2025. He told The Sun of his struggles on and off the field: “I felt a deep sense of shame during my teenage years in particular. I didn’t come out to my parents until I was 21. I didn’t come out to my friends until I was 25.

“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 dealing 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.”

In August, Coote was given an eight-week suspension by the Football Association over the Klopp footage. A statement from the FA read: “David Coote has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to comments that he made about Jurgen Klopp in a video recorded around July 2020 which appeared on social media in November 2024. It's alleged that the referee acted in an improper manner and/or used abusive and/or insulting words contrary to FA Rule E3.1. It's further alleged that this constitutes an 'Aggravated Breach,' which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference - whether express or implied - to nationality. No charges have been issued in relation to allegations of gambling misconduct against David Coote, which were also fully investigated.”