The former colleague of suspended Premier League referee David Coote breaks industry silence on what a ‘very tense’ official is REALLY like after calling Jurgen Klopp a ‘German ****’ in a leaked video

Former Premier League referee Peter Walton has opened up about what David Coote is really like after controversial comments he made about Jurgen Klopp in a video went viral.

Coote has been suspended by the PGMOL after footage – which appears to be from several years ago – showed him calling then Reds boss Klopp a ‘German ****’ and ‘bloody arrogant’.

The PGMOL has launched an investigation and is investigating the possibility that it is a deep fake or created using artificial intelligence.

Coote, 42, has now reportedly admitted it was real but does not remember the content of the entire conversation.

And Walton, who was an official in the top flight between 2003 and 2012 and now works as a referee analyst, has provided some insight into the 42-year-old.

While Walton admitted that suspending Coote after the ‘shocking’ video was the right action, he called for clarity around the clip and claimed it came as a ‘huge surprise’.

To enrol The timeshe said: ‘There are some Premier League referees who I consider to be more loose-lipped and more boyish in their behavior away from the public spotlight. David is not one of them.

‘I would have described him as a sensible captain, perhaps a bit tense at times, and not one of the lads.

‘Unlike some referees, you rarely see him laughing and joking with players during matches; he is generally very straightforward. I watch the video and wonder if part of the problem is him trying to be someone he’s not.”

Walton had direct, if limited, experience of Coote towards the end of his career and insisted he was a ‘reasonable choice for mid-level Premier League games’, claiming ‘you know what to expect from David’.

Walton went on to highlight his concerns about the impact the whole episode will have on Premier League referees, highlighting how Coote has been ‘compromised’ by his comments about Klopp and Liverpool.

The 65-year-old also gave his thoughts on Coote’s clashes with the German over the years and hinted that officials must always keep their wits about them no matter what situation they find themselves in.

‘He seems one of the more difficult personalities to manage in recent times,” Walton added. ‘But those are mainly the situations where the referee must remain calm. The language in the video – assuming all is as it seems – is clearly offensive.”

The PGMOL had confirmed the news of Coote’s suspension in a statement on Monday evening.

It said: ‘David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will make no further comment until that process has been completed.”

The astonishing video, which went viral on social media, appeared to show Coote looking worse for wear as he delivered an explicit rant about the Merseyside club.

“Liverpool was s***,” the man alleged to be Coote said in the video. ‘(Klopp is a) ****, absolutely ****. Apart from right-clicking me when I refereed against Burnley in lockdown, he accused me of lying and then got a bloody punch from me.

“I have no interest in talking to someone who’s damn arrogant. That’s why I try my best not to talk to him. (James) Milner is doing well, I get on with him. You see me there with a ‘mask’ on. But my god, German, fuck me.”

In a second video, the man added, “Just to be clear, that damn last video isn’t going anywhere, seriously.”

The match the man alleged to be Coote is referring to in the video was Liverpool’s controversial 1-1 draw against Burnley in 2020.

In the match, which saw Liverpool drop points at home for the first time that season, Andy Robertson was caught on camera angrily confronting Coote in an expletive-laden tirade after being denied a penalty.

‘How is that not a punishment, it is a shame; ‘ shouted the Scot angrily after the match. ‘How the hell is that not a punishment? You didn’t see anything.

‘You haven’t seen anything the whole game, except you booked them in the last minute. F*** me. What’s the point of having you in the middle? What’s the point of having you? F*** me. Honestly.’

Coote has been a Premier League referee since 2018 and had many clashes with Klopp, who left Anfield at the end of last season.

Midway through last season, during the match between Arsenal and Liverpool in December, Klopp expressed his anger at Coote and the rest of the match officials after his side were denied a penalty despite Martin Odegaard appearing to handle the ball inside the 18-yard box.

Chris Kavanagh, who was the match referee, allowed play to continue and the match was not stopped for a VAR check by the referees, with Coote convinced that the Norwegian only handled the ball while falling, which is not considered a punishable offense by the referee. The rules of the Premier League.

“Yes, I saw it,” Klopp raged after the match. ‘I’m pretty sure someone will come and explain to me why it wasn’t a handball, but I don’t know how? “I’m not saying the referee can see it because I don’t know where he was at the time.”

Referring to Coote’s role in the incident, he added: ‘But how can a man in the office see that and not conclude that it might be worth the referee having a second look?’

PGMOL chief Howard Webb then admitted Kavanagh and Coote had made a mistake by not awarding Liverpool a penalty during the 1-1 draw.