The governing body for English referees has launched an investigation after a video emerged on social media showing a person appearing to be referee David Coote launching a tirade about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
So far, little is known about the video, which appeared on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday, where Coote appears to call Liverpool “shit” and refer to their former head coach Klopp in a number of profane and derogatory ways. According to sources close to the organization, PGMOL has started an initial investigation into the video.
In the video, the man then refers to an incident involving the two in the 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Burnley in July 2020, after which Klopp criticized the referee for “letting up a lot of challenges”. The German had also confronted Coote at the final whistle of this match. “He accused me of lying,” Coote seems to say, “and then hexed me the fuck out. I have no interest in talking to someone who’s fucking arrogant.”
In a second video, the person said, “Just to be clear, that damn last video isn’t going anywhere, seriously.”
There have been clashes between Klopp and Coote since then, most notably when the latter was VAR official for a 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Arsenal in December 2024, a match in which Martin Odegaard avoided being awarded a penalty for a handball in the penalty area. . Coote was also in charge on Saturday as Liverpool defeated Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield.