David Coote, the suspended Premier League referee, is at the centre of a betting investigation by the Football Association (FA) after allegedly discussing giving a yellow card before a match.
In messages obtained by The Sun, it is claimed a friend of Coote told him to brandish a yellow card to then-Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski during a Championship match against West Brom in October 2019.
The official booked Alioski in the 18th minute for a cynical foul then messaged his friend back saying: “I hope you backed as discussed.”
Coote has reportedly told The Sun that the discussion did take place merely as “banter” while denying any wrongdoing, although it has triggered an investigation.
“These are very serious allegations and we are investigating as a matter of urgency,” a spokesperson for refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) told Sky Sports:
“The facts need to be established in light of these very serious allegations.
“We adopt a zero-tolerance approach to any breach of our integrity code of conduct, which is signed by all match officials on an annual basis.
“PGMOL board is committed to taking the appropriate action should any breach of that code be proven.
“David Coote remains suspended and subject to an ongoing disciplinary process by PGMOL, separate to the investigation into this matter, which will be carried out independently by the FA.
“We will be making no further comment at this stage.”
The FA have launched a betting probe into allegations that referee David Coote discussed giving a yellow card to a Leeds United player with a friend before a match. Coote carded Leeds player Ezgjan Alioski in the match against West Brom in October 2019.
Coote was already embroiled in a scandal after foul-mouthed videos surfaced of him ranting about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp.
He was heard calling Klopp a “c***” and “f****** arrogant” which led to his suspension by PGMOL on November 11th.
Another video was shared days later of Coote appearing to snort white powder in a hotel during this summer’s European Championship in Germany, where he was an official.
The clip was thought to have been filmed on July 6th, just one day before the quarter-final between France and Portugal.
Coote was stood down by UEFA – European football’s governing body – in line with PGMOL’s suspension.