English Premier League referee David Coote was dismissed on Monday after an investigation into his conduct deemed his position untenable.
Coote was suspended on November 12 while the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) investigated offensive comments he made about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.
UEFA has launched its own investigation into Coote after a video allegedly showed him using cocaine during the European Championship.
The Football Association is also investigating Coote for allegedly discussing the possibility of issuing a yellow card to a player with a fan.
Coote denies all allegations against him.
The PGMOL issued a statement saying Coote’s employment has been terminated with immediate effect following the conclusion of its investigation.
The referees’ body said Coote’s actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable.
Coote has the right to appeal the termination decision.
Two videos surfaced showing a person who appears to be Coote making derogatory comments about Liverpool and Klopp, with unclear details about when they were filmed and their authenticity.
The person used an expletive for Liverpool and a derogatory term for Klopp, saying he disliked the German manager because he was arrogant and accused me of lying after one game.
It remains unclear when the footage was recorded or if it has been altered.
In a shorter clip filmed afterwards, the two participants stressed the importance of not sharing the footage.
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English Premier League referee David Coote was fired because he said bad things about a former manager, Jürgen Klopp. He was also accused of using drugs and talking about giving a player a penalty to a fan. Coote says he didn't do any of those things. He can fight the decision to fire him. Videos of Coote being mean about Liverpool and Klopp were shared online, but it's not clear when they were filmed or if they were changed. Some people also said to keep the videos secret. Coote's job is over because of these things.

English Premier League Referee David Coote Sacked Over Klopp Video Rant

Premier League referee David Coote has been suspended following the release of video footage in which he is heard calling Jürgen Klopp a “German cunt” and referring to Liverpool as “shit.”
The remarks were made after a 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Burnley during Project Restart in 2020, where Coote described Klopp as “arrogant” and claimed he accused him of lying.
Just before his suspension, Coote officiated Liverpool’s recent 2-0 victory against Aston Villa.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), which is responsible for overseeing match officials in professional football in England, said:
<blockquote>
David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete.
</blockquote>
As reported by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/nov/11/referee-david-coote-video-jurgen-klopp-liverpool-pgmol-premier-league">The Guardian</a>, the controversial video appears to date from the 2020-21 season, featuring referee David Coote making derogatory remarks about Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool.
In the footage, Coote expresses disdain for Klopp, labelling him “arrogant” and recalling a previous incident during a match against Burnley, where he felt Klopp accused him of lying.
Coote uses explicit language, referring to Klopp as a “German cunt” and criticising Liverpool’s performance in a game earlier that day.
The conversation was recorded by another man, who also made disparaging comments about Klopp and Liverpool fans.
In the video, Coote and the man imply they are breaching COVID regulations by sitting close together. In a separate clip, Coote asks not to share the original recording.
The discussion includes a still image of Coote on the touchline with Klopp during Liverpool’s 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa.
In Liverpool’s next match, Coote served as the video assistant referee when Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s challenge on Virgil van Dijk, which resulted in an anterior cruciate ligament injury, went unpunished.
Coote also faced criticism from Klopp as the VAR for the 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Arsenal last December, where an apparent handball by Martin Ødegaard did not lead to a penalty.
Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer for PGMOL, later said that the incident should have resulted in a spot-kick.
It is understood Liverpool feel it would be inappropriate to comment with an investigation underway
Under Coote’s officiating, Liverpool has won five, drawn one, and lost two of the eight matches he refereed during Klopp’s tenure as manager.
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Premier League referee David Coote got in trouble for saying mean things about Liverpool and their coach, Jürgen Klopp. He called Klopp a bad word and said rude things about the team. There's a video of him making these comments, which has caused him to be suspended and investigated. Coote was the referee for a recent Liverpool game, but now he's in trouble because of his disrespectful comments. This is not the first time Coote has made controversial decisions in games involving Liverpool. Liverpool has won some games and lost some games with Coote as the referee. Klopp and Liverpool fans are upset about what Coote said and did.

Premier League Referee David Coote Suspended Over Derogatory Remarks Against Liverpool And Klopp

Cecil Gwezera, the referee overseeing the Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final match between Simba Bhora and Highlanders at Wadzanai Stadium in Shamva on Sunday, has reportedly received a six-month suspension.
Zondzi Ngosana, one of Gwezera’s assistant referees for the match, has also been suspended for the same duration following the match’s abandonment just over 10 minutes before the final whistle.
The match ended prematurely when Highlanders players walked off in protest against Gwezera’s decision to award a penalty to Simba Bhora.
Highlanders argued that the incident leading to the penalty occurred outside the box, a claim corroborated by video evidence showing that the contact between Tinashe Balakasi and Peter Muduhwa took place well beyond the 18-yard line. 
The ZIFA Referees Committee suspended the two match officials for poorly handling, with Ngosana being found wanting on two aspects of officiating — “proximity to the incident and angle of viewing.”
ZIFA Referees Committee chairman Norman Matemera declined to comment on Gwezera’s suspension.
A retired referee, speaking on condition of anonymity, told <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/red-card-for-simba-bhora-bosso-ref/">The Herald</a> that the match could have been salvaged if the match commissioner had discreetly reviewed video evidence of the incident and discussed it with the officials involved. Said the retired referee:
<blockquote>
The match could have been saved with the referee correctly awarding that team a free-kick outside the box and sending off the Highlanders defender for denying an obvious scoring opportunity.
I am surprised that Gwezera did not exercise his authority by demanding that Ariel Sibanda go to the Bosso goal for the penalty to be taken.
If he was adamant that he would not take his position, Gwezera should have issued him a first yellow card, and after that a second that would have seen him leave the pitch.
He would have waited then to see the Highlanders’ reaction whether they would bring on another goalkeeper to replace Sibanda.
Perhaps he feared that he had already erred and hence could not take further action.
</blockquote>
Meanwhile, Highlanders could face a ban from participating in next season’s Chibuku Super Cup. The rules and regulations state that “if a team refuses to continue playing or leaves the stadium or field of play before the end of the match, that team shall be banned from participating in the next edition of the Chibuku Super Cup.”
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The Simba Bhora vs. Highlanders match referee, Cecil Gwezera, has been suspended for six months along with one of his assistant referees. The match ended early due to a controversial penalty decision by Gwezera, which Highlanders disagreed with. The ZIFA Referees Committee found the officials' handling of the situation was poor. A retired referee suggested the match could have been saved if handled differently. Highlanders may face a ban from the next Chibuku Super Cup for their actions.

Simba Bhora Vs. Highlanders Match Referee, Cecil Gwezera, Hit with Six-Month Suspension

The ZIFA Referees Committee has suspended assistant referee Zondzi Ngosana for six weeks following the Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final match between Simba Bhora and Highlanders at Wadzanai Stadium on Sunday.
His suspension will be in effect from match week 27 to 32. The match was abandoned in the second half after Highlanders players protested a controversial penalty awarded to the hosts for a foul that occurred outside the 18-yard box.
The referees’ committee concluded that Ngosana was not positioned correctly, resulting in his failure to see that the foul happened outside the box. The suspension letter reads:
<blockquote>
THE ZIFA Referees Committee hereby notifies you that you have been suspended from officiating soccer matches for the next six matches.
The suspension has been occasioned by your low standard of officiating in the match, Simba Bhora versus Highlanders at Wadzanai Stadium, Shamva, on 22 September 2024.
In the match, the referee awarded a penalty to Simba Bhora for a foul which occurred outside the penalty area. As the assistant, you should have been marking the penalty area line, which is parallel to the goal line.
That way, you would have been able to see that the ball was out of the penalty area. That decision impacted on the match. The match was abandoned.
</blockquote>
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The ZIFA Referees Committee suspended linesman Zondzi Ngosana for six weeks for a mistake in a soccer match between Simba Bhora and Highlanders. The match was abandoned because the linesman did not see a foul that happened outside the penalty area. The committee said Ngosana was not in the right position to make the correct call. He will not be able to officiate games from week 27 to 32. Players protested a penalty awarded to Simba Bhora, and the match had to be stopped. The linesman's mistake impacted the game and led to its abandonment.

ZIFA Referees Committee Suspends Linesman Over Abandonded Simba Vs Highlanders Match

Rwandan authorities on Saturday said they had arrested six people for allegedly hurling insults at Salima Mukansanga, the Rwandese female referee who made history as one of the first woman referees chosen for the men’s World Cup.
Mukansanga (34) took charge of Kiyovu Football Club’s 0-0 draw against Gasogi United on 20 January in Nyamata, south of Kigali.
Some Kiyovu fans repeatedly chanted offensive slurs at Mukansanga, calling her “a prostitute”, while others wanted to physically attack her after the game but were stopped by the security.
Thierry Murangira, the spokesman for the Rwanda Investigative Bureau (RIB), told AFP that three women and three men were arrested on Thursday. Said Murangira:
<blockquote>
Those arrested are being investigated for hurling insults in public and for discrimination.
They are suspected to have committed these crimes during a football match between Kiyovu FC and Gasogi United and they are now in the custody of RIB
Investigations will continue as we prepare their dossier to be submitted to the prosecutors, while we continue to search for others who were involved in this crime.
</blockquote>
The Rwanda Football Federation (Ferwafa) this week launched a probe into the matter and said measures will be taken by the disciplinary committee after the probe.
Mukansanga was among three women on the list of 36 referees selected by FIFA to referee the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
She made history last year by becoming the first woman to referee at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Mukansanga also officiated at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. | <a href="https://ewn.co.za/2023/01/28/rwanda-arrests-six-for-insulting-trailblazing-female-football-ref">EWN</a>

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