The English Football Association (FA) has opened a corruption investigation against referee David Coote, already suspended for alleged drug use and inappropriate statements made to former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.
According to The Sun tabloid published on Tuesday (26), Coote had spoken to a fan about the possibility of showing a yellow card to Leeds player, Ezgjan Alioski, on the eve of refereeing the match between Leeds and West Bromwich, in October. 2019.
The Sun adds that the 42-year-old referee, after the game in which he showed this card, sent a message to the fan saying: “I hope you did what needed to be done as we discussed.”
Coote, currently suspended over two other investigations, defended himself by “firmly” rejecting these “false and defamatory accusations”.
“Whatever my personal problems were, they never affected my decisions on the field,” he said.
UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) announced on November 14 the opening of an investigation after the publication of images that allegedly showed him smelling a white powder during the Euro 2024 tournament, the tournament in which he played.
In England, the referee is also at the center of a double investigation by the Association of Professional Referees (PGMOL) and the FA, following the release on social media, on November 11, of older videos showing him criticizing and insulting the referee. German Jürgen Klopp in a private context.
