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Shamed former Premier League referee David Coote has revealed that a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality contributed to the X-rated rant that saw him dismissed from his post last year.
Coote was initially suspended last October after footage emerged of him mocking ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in a video that was widely shared on social media.
In an interview with The Sun, Coote said: “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 with hiding that.
“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.
I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay, and that I’ve had real struggles with hiding that.
David Coote
“And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours.”
Further photographs shared by The Sun in November, which the newspaper claimed were taken during Euro 2024, appeared to show Coote sniffing a white powder through a rolled-up bank note.
“I don’t recognise myself in the cocaine video,” Coote added. “I can’t resonate with how I felt then, but that was me.
“I was struggling with the schedule and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position — escaping.
“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.”
Coote said he and his late mother had received death threats following decisions he made on the field, and cited his own example to show how relentless abuse from the stands and on social media could impact the mental health of officials.
“Every official that takes to the pitch up and down the country from a local playing field to the Premier League is a human being, not just a referee,” continued Coote.
“They have feelings. They may not show them, but it will impact them when they’re receiving abuse. I’ve struggled and I’ve tried to get through it in my own way and made poor decisions in doing so.
“I hope that others make better decisions and that referees are given an easier ride in the levels of scrutiny, and levels of abuse that come in their direction. I hope this shines a light on the impact it can have on a person.”
