The Football Association is investigating David Coote after he discussed booking a Leeds United player before their match.
According to a report in The Sun, Coote gave a yellow card to Ezgjan Alioski during Leeds United’s 1-0 win against West Brom in October 2019, and then messaged a friend: ‘I hope you backed as discussed.’
Coote, who is currently suspended after a video emerged earlier this month of him calling former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp an ‘‘absolute c***’, denies wrongdoing.
In a statement to the newspaper, Coote said: ‘Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision-making on the field.
‘I have always held the integrity of the game in the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the best of my ability.’
A spokesperson for the Professional Game Match Officials Limited [PGMOL] said on Thursday night: ‘The facts need to be established in light of these very serious allegations.
‘We adopt a zero-tolerance approach to any breach of our integrity code of conduct, which is signed by all match officials on an annual basis. PGMOL board is committed to taking the appropriate action should any breach of that code be proven.
‘David Coote remains suspended and subject to an ongoing disciplinary process by PGMOL, separate to the investigation into this matter, which will be carried out independently by the FA.’
A spokesperson for the FA said: ‘These are very serious allegations and we are investigating as a matter of urgency.’
Coote has also been suspended by UEFA after a video surfaced of him snorting a white power. The clip was allegedly filmed on July 6,the day after the Euro 2024 quarter final between France and Portugal. Coote was part of the refereeing team that day as a support VAR official.
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