Liverpool are not expected to respond to the emergence of an apparently damning video of Premier League referee David Coote in which the official made insulting and derisive comments regarding former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp until the PGMOL complete their investigation into the incident.
If fans thought the November international break was going to be boring, then they were in for a surprise when a video surfaced on social media on Monday of Coote allegedly launching a tirade against legendary Reds boss Klopp.
In the video itself, the referee can be heard using a number of expletives to describe the German, and even referenced his nationality, saying: "German c***, f*** me" before the man filming beside him made disrespectful comments about people from Liverpool.
Klopp had clashed with the official on a number of occasions, most notably following his side's draw against Everton at Goodison Park in October 2020 when Jordan Pickford was not sent off by the day's VAR Coote for a dangerous tackle on Virgil van Dijk.
Coote has been suspended by the refereeing body PGMOL with immediate effect pending a full investigation, and Liverpool will await the outcome of the inquiry before responding, according to Reds expert David Lynch, telling Sports Mole: "[Liverpool] are keeping their powder dry, so no comment expected until the PGMOL have completed their investigation, which I think is sensible.
"There's no need for Liverpool to steam in, but I'm sure they will once that investigation comes to a close and there's an outcome. I'm sure they will address it."
"The end of his refereeing career"
Coote was also filmed asking the person beside him to not release the video saying: "Just to be clear, that f****** last video can't go anywhere, seriously."
It is clear that the referee understood the potential implications of what he said being released publicly at the time, and his concerns were proven right as seen by the fact his now surfaced comments have fuelled the fire of conspiracy amongst fans, who have taken the video as evidence of refereeing bias against certain clubs.
While the video may not be proof of bias in decision-making, the optics of the footage may make Coote's position untenable, and Lynch has suggested that it could lead to the end of his role as a referee, saying: "The PGMOL is under so much pressure already. [Refereeing] decisions get highlighted to a degree that I'm not really particularly fond of at the moment, too much talk about referees full stop, but obviously this this puts even more pressure on them to the point that I'm sure they will feel that they have to act and take severe action.
"[Coote's] in that professional environment where you cannot afford to make slip-ups like this and it's a foolish mistake and you do not want to see anyone [have it cost] them their career, but we all accept there are standards when we go into certain jobs and particularly if you're in the public eye and he's fallen well short of that, and so I think the PGMOL are in a difficult position.
"Just pulling him off Liverpool games probably doesn't cut it because there'll be question marks then if he refs an Arsenal game or a Manchester City game. The PGMOL just can't afford for that to be happening, so I think it's a bit of a sticky situation and I wonder whether this will possibly be the end of his refereeing career."
© Imago
The integrity of refereeing decisions thrown into doubt?
Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, the existence of the video will cast a shadow of doubt over refereeing decisions in the past and in the future, and may further erode the trust between officials, players and fans.
Referees have long come under scrutiny for their decision-making, and though the introduction of VAR was supposed to ease the pressure on officials and provide a safety net for them should mistakes be made on the pitch, the use of technology has not dampened the intensity of the criticism they face.
Lynch expressed sympathy for referees in the Premier League, telling Sports Mole: "I want to push against, you've seen it flying around social media, conspiracy theories and suggestions that [Coote's] intentionally undermined Liverpool or even that subconscious bias has affected his performances against Liverpool. I never buy into that.
"I would also push the idea that [Coote's] probably saying what a lot of referees think as well. If I was stood on the touchline and Jurgen Klopp was speaking to me in the way that he did so many officials, I wouldn't take to it kindly and I'd probably be coming home and saying to my wife at the end of the day 'oh I can't stand that fellow, he's awful to me and I'm not his biggest fan'.
"Rightly or wrongly, [the video] throws up questions about the integrity of refereeing decisions across the league across the last few seasons whenever David Coote's been involved in a Liverpool game - like I say, I don't buy into that, but those questions are being thrown up by this situation."
The PGMOL are continuing their investigation, and for now, Liverpool are remaining tight-lipped on the incident regarding Coote.
Lewis Nolan
