'Nice guy' David Coote told by ex-Premier League referee to bring in 'tight circle you trust' amid Jurgen Klopp and drug video scandals

English top-flight official Coote's career has been thrown into doubt after footage emerged of him calling former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp a "German c***" and called the club "s***". Another video then circulated of the 42-year-old appearing to snort a white substance during Euro 2024 this summer. Now, former colleague and Premier League official Jon Moss has defended Coote as a "nice guy" and offered some words of advice.

He told The Athletic: "You’ve always got to be careful as a match official how you conduct yourself and who you surround yourself with. It’s important to have a tight circle of friends that you trust. And then it’s about living your life appropriately to the position that you hold. David is a nice guy and I always found him to be hardworking, diligent, and sensible. I hope that PGMOL conduct their investigations and when it comes to it he can move on either as a referee or in some other walk of life."

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited has suspended Coote, the body responsible for refereeing games in English professional football, and he has been stood down by UEFA as well. It seems increasingly likely that his career in the game may be over.

Coote, who began refereeing in the Premier League in 2018, is currently waiting to hear what punishment comes his way from these investigations.