FA investigating referee David Coote’s alleged remarks about Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool

Alleged derogatory comments made about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and his team by referee David Coote are being investigated by the Football Association.

The expletive-filled video, which began circulating social media on Monday 11 November, appears to show Coote criticising the German and the Anfield club.

Hours after it surfaced the referees body, Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), announced Coote, 42, had been suspended pending a full investigation.

It is not yet confirmed that the video is genuine, but it is understood PGMOL is treating it as such.

On Tuesday, 12 November, the FA confirmed it is now also looking at Coote's comments.

The regulatory authority now has the power to investigate remarks made in a private context, and it is understood part of its investigation will centre on whether Coote’s reference to Klopp’s nationality constitutes an aggravated breach of its misconduct rules.

“We are aware of the matter, and we are investigating it,” an FA spokesperson said.

In the video, Coote is asked for his views on a Liverpool match where he has just been fourth official, and describes them as “s***”.

He then uses an offensive term to describe Klopp, and asked why he felt that way, Coote says the German had “a right pop at me when I reffed them against Burnley in lockdown” and had accused him of lying.

“I have got no interest in speaking to someone who’s f****** arrogant, so I do my best not to speak to him,” Coote says.

The other man in the video has been confirmed as Ben Kitt, who works for executive search firm Forsyth Barnes.

“This is something that we are taking very seriously and we have suspended Ben on full pay while we investigate further,” said a statement from company co-founder Roheel Ahmad.

“Although we are still in the process of gathering all the facts, we do know for certain that the video was taken some years before Ben became an employee of Forsyth Barnes.”

Retired referee-turned-pundit Mike Dean believes the controversy will have a damaging effect on officials at every level of the English football pyramid.

In an interview with Sky Sports, the 56-year-old said: “It’s damaging for everybody involved. When I saw it yesterday I couldn’t believe it, when someone sent me the message to say “have a look at this.

“You can look at it two or three times before you realise, crikey, who it is and what’s going on and what’s been said.

“I think all the way from the top down to the bottom, I’m talking right down to the bottom, it will devastate referees from grassroots all the way to the Football League, people trying to get onto that level.

“You’ve just got to be so careful about what you say, and it’s so out of character for David to do. I was astounded when I saw it.

“As referees you can’t put yourself in that position no matter what you do. You can say things away from camera, you can talk amongst your friends and things and colleagues, but you can’t let somebody video this and then hope that it’s never going to come out."

Dean revealed he had a text message exchange with Coote, who he remembered as “one of the quieter referees in the group” but would not reveal the nature of the exchange.

But, despite the collateral damage on the profession, Dean still believes Coote could return to refereeing if he wanted to do so – though admitted he would face an uphill battle.

He added: “I don’t think he’s damaged his career beyond repair. I’d like to think that because it’s one of these things that’s never happened before, I don’t know what line the PGMOL will go down.

“They obviously need to get the correct investigation in place, where the source of the video came from, get David’s full story about what’s going on,

“I’d like to think that they can come to some kind of agreement, and it also depends as well on what’s gone on with David with all this media attention.

“Would David still want to carry on refereeing? That’s the bigger picture you’ve got to think of, because it doesn’t affect just David. It affects his friends and his family as well, so does he want to put himself through it yet again to come back in?

“Obviously it will be hard to come back in and start again, whether it’s in the Championship or Football League to start with and then get back into the Premier League, but it will be a hard step for him to come back.”