David Coote, the suspended Premier League referee, is at the centre of a Football Association gambling investigation after discussing a bet on a yellow card before he took charge of a match.
Messages obtained by The Sun newspaper quote Coote telling a friend “I hope you backed as discussed” in the hours after he booked Leeds United left-back Ezgjan Alioski in a 2019 Championship fixture.
Coote denies any allegation of corruption, but both the FA and the refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Limited are now carrying out urgent inquiries into the latest scandal to engulf Coote. The new messages have come to light a fortnight after Coote was suspended over two other clips showing him repeatedly calling Jurgen Klopp a “c—” after officiating a Liverpool match.
Credit: X / @AnfieldEdition
Two days later, the scandal around him deepened further as footage appeared to show him snorting white powder in a hotel room during Euro 2024, where he also officiated.
In the new messages, Coote was reportedly in contact with a friend, including references to gambling both before and after Leeds’ 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion in October 2019.
The Sun claims a friend of Coote jokingly told him ahead of the game to give a yellow card to Alioski so he could put a bet on it.
When Coote informs him that he has “Leeds tomorrow” via text, the friend reportedly replies: “Ooh big game. We still on for what we discussed [Alioski]. Maybe I could join you if so.”
Coote replies: “Haha don’t know what you mean.”
His friend then posts: “Haha well I’m off to back it in the morning so don’t let me down.” Coote answered: “Haha will see.”
The day after Alioski was booked in the 18th minute for a foul on Darnell Furlong, Coote messaged his friend again, reportedly saying: “What a day yesterday. I hope you backed as discussed.”
According to The Sun, the friend then tells him that he did not put money on it but he believes another friend “backed it though”.
Coote then replies: “Haha he will have to share with you then.”
The FA confirmed to Telegraph Sport that urgent inquiries were under way. “These are very serious allegations and we are investigating as a matter of urgency,” a statement added.
Any gambling discussions by referees involving matches they are officiating can be deemed major breaches of the industry’s Integrity Code of Conduct.
The PGMOL added: “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. We will be making no further comment at this stage.”
Coote is believed to accept a discussion took place, but claims it was only “banter” and nothing improper took place. There is no suggestion that the referee made any financial gains.
Coote told The Sun: “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.”
The friend, who shared the messages with The Sun, said he had met Coote online. “I jokingly told him to give Alioski a yellow card in the Leeds United game the following day against West Bromwich Albion, so I could back this in the bookies,” the friend told The Sun.
Coote was already facing dismissal by PGMOL. The FA is also investigating an outburst in which he calls Klopp “f—— arrogant”. Uefa also suspended Coote until further notice on Nov 11.
