David Coote facing additional charge as fallout from X-rated Klopp video continues
The fallout from the viral video featuring David Coote defaming Jurgen Klopp in an X-rated tirade has continued into Tuesday.
On Monday, footage was shared online showing the Premier League official using an especially crude swear word on multiple occasions to describe the former Liverpool manager, with the PGMOL swiftly suspending him pending an investigaton into the matter.
It’s now been reported that the 42-year-old could be hit with further punishment over the comments made in the video.
Coote facing aggravated misconduct charge
As reported by Martyn Ziegler for The Times, Coote could now face an aggravated misconduct charge from the FA due to Klopp’s nationality being used as part of the tirade against him in the footage, as references to a person’s country of origin are liable to receive tougher sanctions.
The association’s rules state that the definition of an ‘aggravated breach’ covers a reference ‘whether express or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin and/or nationality’.
The report states that ‘it is highly unusual, and perhaps unprecedented’ for a referee to face an FA charge of this nature, and that even if the video was recorded several years ago and was never intended for public consumption, it wouldn’t prevent the governing body of English football from taking disciplinary action.
Lessons to be learned for Coote and fellow referees
As if the crude language used by Coote in the viral video wasn’t damning enough, the damage now appears ot have been compounded by him bringing Klopp’s nationality into the equation, whether or not it the use of ‘German’ was intended as a slur.
If the referee is found guilty of an aggravated misconduct charge, it’d almost certainly bring an end to his career as a Premier League official, and we can only hope that he learns lessons from this unsavoury storm.
Ultimately there are no winners from this regrettable episode. It’s now over to the relevant governing bodies to exercise the appropriate sanctions, in the hope that current and future officials will come to uphold the standards expected of their profession both on and off the pitch.
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