David Coote: Sacked Premier League Referee Charged With Making Indecent Video of Child

David Coote, the former Premier League referee who was sacked in December 2024 for making derogatory comments about Liverpool and their ex-manager Jürgen Klopp, has been charged with making an indecent video of a child.

Nottinghamshire Police confirmed the 43-year-old has been charged with a Category A offence relating to a video file recovered in February of this year.

Coote, who was charged on Aug. 12, is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates Court on Thursday, Sept. 11 and has been released from custody on conditional bail.

His Premier League officiating career was ended by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after comments made about Liverpool and Klopp were found to be a “serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract.” Coote initially denied the legitimacy of the video before admitting it was genuine.

Coote subsequently admitted to drug abuse in a lengthy interview with The Sun, owing to his struggles with hiding his sexuality, and said that he “didn’t recognise” himself in the video where he called Klopp a derogatory term.

The Football Association handed Coote an eight-week ban in August in relation to the comments made about Liverpool and Klopp, while UEFA have already banned him from officiating until June 30, 2026 after photographs of him snorting a white powder, having been selected to appear as an assistant VAR official at Euro 2024, were published.