Coote banned for abusive comments about Klopp
PGMO working to improve approach to mental health
Howard Webb believes there is no way back to refereeing for David Coote, saying the scandal-hit official would find it “really difficult” to return, even as Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) seeks to improve its approach to mental health.
Coote was this week handed a suspension by the Football Association over derogatory remarks he made about Jürgen Klopp on a video recorded during lockdown and leaked online. A number of other claims, which also led Coote to admit to drug use during his time as a referee, prompted his sacking by PGMO late last year and a Uefa ban.
Webb said the outcome of the Coote affair had been a “sad” one but the outcome was likely irreversible. “I think it’d be really difficult for David to come back, I’m afraid to say,” Webb, the chief referee officer, said. “He is somebody that we stay in contact with, somebody who was part of our refereeing family for a long time and served the game as well for a long period of time and I’ve known him personally for many years. So it’s sad what happened with David, but I would think it would be a challenging thing for him to come back.”
