PGMOL, the refereeing body for English football, has said that the investigation into Premier League referee David Coote is continuing and he remains suspended pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
Coote, 42, was initially stood down by PGMOL on Nov. 11 after a first video was posted to X which showed the referee making disparaging remarks about Liverpool and their former manager Jürgen Klopp.
Two days later, another video, filmed by Coote and shared to a friend on WhatsApp, was published by The Sun. It was allegedly taken at a UEFA-appointed hotel on July 6, the day after his final appointment at Euro 2024 as support VAR for the Portugal vs. France quarterfinal, and showed him sniffing a white powder.
Coote had already been suspended by UEFA in alignment with PGMOL, and European football’s governing body subsequently opened its own investigation.
A PGMOL spokesperson said on Thursday: “We are following an internal process and taking the allegations into David Coote’s conduct very seriously as part of our ongoing full and thorough investigation. Whilst David remains suspended, his welfare continues to be important to us and he is aware of the support network available to him.”