Sports

Former Premier League Referee Coote Kept Sexuality Private Due to Fear of Abuse

Disgraced former Premier League referee David Coote has revealed that he kept his sexuality a secret for years, fearing the abuse he might face as a gay man. The 42-year-old was dismissed by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) last month following a series of controversies.

Coote was initially suspended in November after a widely circulated video showed him making derogatory remarks about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. Additionally, photographs published by The Sun—allegedly taken during Euro 2024—appeared to show him sniffing a white powder through a rolled-up banknote.

In an interview with The Sun on Tuesday, Coote publicly came out as gay, expressing regret for his actions that led to his dismissal.

“I have received deeply unpleasant abuse during my career as a ref and to add my sexuality to that would have been really difficult,” he said.

He added: “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.”

Coote said he and his late mother had received death threats following decisions he had made on the pitch and cited his own example to show how relentless abuse from the stands and on social media could impact the mental health of officials.

Coote’s contract was terminated by the PGMOL in December following its investigation into the initial video, in which he used offensive language about Klopp.

His behaviour is under investigation by the Football Association and European governing body UEFA.

Former Aston Villa and Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger came out in 2014 after his career ended but there has not been an active out gay footballer playing in the Premier League.

Former international rugby referee Nigel Owens, who came out as gay in 2007, said he understands why Coote hid his sexuality.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *