Former top referee David Coote comes out as gay in first interview since sacking
Former Premier League referee David Coote has publicly come out as gay in his first interview since being dismissed by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL). Coote also admitted to using cocaine as a way to cope with personal struggles and the pressures of his role.
Coote's refereeing career ended last year after he was found to have "seriously breached" his contract. A video emerged of him making derogatory comments about Liverpool, referring to the team as “s***” and calling manager Jürgen Klopp a “German c***.” Another video surfaced, allegedly showing him snorting a white powder just hours after working as a VAR official during Euro 2024.
Speaking to The Sun, Coote opened up about the incidents that led to the end of his high-profile career, his struggles with his sexuality, and his experiences in the "macho world" of football. He said: "I felt a deep sense of shame during my teenage years in particular. I didn’t come out to my parents until I was 21. I didn’t come out to my friends until I was 25. My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to be in that position. But I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay and that I’ve had real struggles dealing with hiding that."
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Coote admitted that hiding his emotions and sexuality contributed to destructive behaviors, adding: "I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well—a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being. And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours."
He described the intense pressure and abuse that Premier League referees face, which made him hesitant to come out, reports the Mirror. He explained: "I’ve had issues around my self-esteem—and that relates to my sexuality. I’m gay, and I’ve struggled with feeling proud of being ‘me’ over a long period of time. I have received deeply unpleasant abuse during my career as a ref, and to add my sexuality to that would have been really difficult. There’s a lot to be done throughout football and more widely in society with regard to discrimination."
Coote also addressed his use of cocaine as an escape mechanism, saying it was a way to deal with the stress of his job and suppressed emotions. He clarified: "It’s not something I was reliant on day by day, week by week, month by month. I’ve had long periods where I’ve not used it—but it was one of the escape routes I had. Just getting away from the stresses, the relentlessness of the job. It fills me with a huge sense of shame to say that I took that route."
The video in which Coote criticized Liverpool and Klopp led to his immediate suspension, and the PGMOL announced his dismissal last month. Coote chose not to appeal the decision and has refrained from commenting until now.
The Football Association (FA) launched its own investigation into the Liverpool video, reportedly focusing on whether Coote’s reference to Klopp’s nationality constituted an aggravated breach of its misconduct rules.
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