Clarien Dantes/Contributed

Former Premier League referee David Coote has been handed an eight-week suspension by the Football Association after making inappropriate comments about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in a resurfaced video.

The FA ruled that Coote committed an aggravated breach of its rules, due to a reference made to Klopp’s nationality in the footage. The video, believed to have been filmed around July 2020, was leaked online in November 2024.

Coote admitted the charge and expressed deep remorse for what the FA described as crass and inappropriate remarks. In addition to the suspension, he must complete a face-to-face education programme.

The incident adds to a series of controversies involving Coote. He was initially suspended in November 2024 when the video first emerged, and the Premier League’s refereeing body (PGMOL) formally dismissed him the following month after conducting its own investigation.

Coote was also banned by UEFA in February 2025 from officiating in European competitions until June 2026. That decision followed the release of a separate video showing him apparently sniffing a ‘white powder’ while on duty during Euro 2024.

In January, Coote publicly came out as gay, revealing that he had kept his sexuality hidden throughout his career due to fear of abuse within the sport.

Though he did not attend the FA hearing, Coote said he believed he was in a private setting when he made the comments about Klopp and Liverpool. He acknowledged the remarks were likely to cause offence and damage his reputation once made public.

Earlier this year, he was cleared of any wrongdoing in a separate investigation into gambling misconduct, after being accused of discussing a potential yellow card before a match.

Coote cited the pressures of the pandemic and the toll of recent years as contributing factors to his declining mental health, which he says played a role in his behaviour.