David Coote, a former Premier League referee, has come out as homosexual and said that his actions that led to his termination were influenced by his lifetime battle to conceal his sexual orientation.
In late 2024, Coote was fired from his position as a top-flight official following the release of a number of offensive films.
Another surfaced showing him snorting a white drug while serving as an official at Euro 2024, while another caught him insulting former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp a ‘arrogant German c***’.
Additionally, leaked text exchanges showed Coote planning a drug-fueled party while working during the October Carabao Cup match between Tottenham and Manchester City.
After an investigation, the referee’s organisation, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), subsequently terminated Coote’s contract last December.
Coote revealed in his first interview after the controversy that his career ended because he lived a lie.
In an emotional interview with The Sun, Coote stated, “I felt a deep sense of shame during my teenage years in particular.”
It wasn’t until I was 21 that I came out to my parents. It wasn’t until I was 25 that I came out to my pals.
“I wasn’t in that situation only because of my sexual orientation. However, if I don’t disclose that I’m gay and that I’ve struggled to keep it a secret, I’m not being honest.
“As a young referee, I suppressed my feelings and my sexual orientation, which was a positive trait as a referee but a bad trait as a person.
“And that has caused me to exhibit a variety of behaviours.”
“I’ve had issues with my self-esteem — and that relates to my sexuality,” he continued. I’m gay, and for a long time, I’ve had trouble feeling proud of who I am.
“It would have been quite challenging to add my sexuality to the already unpleasant abuse I have endured throughout my tenure as a referee.
Regarding discrimination, much work needs to be done in football and society at large.
“Considering the abuse we all receive as referees in any case, I didn’t want to be that person who was sticking their head above the parapet to be shot at.”
Before he was fired, Coote was also the focus of an investigation by the Football Association after claims that he had given a yellow card to order.
Since the revelation of his drug use during Euro 2024, the 42-year-old claims he has been in a “incredibly dark place” and questions whether he would still be “here today” if it weren’t for his family’s support.
The ‘pressure cooker’ of repressed emotion and a demanding work schedule, Coote continued, made him want to ‘escape’ with cocaine.
“It’s not something I was dependent on day by day, week by week, month by month,” he stated.
Even though I haven’t used it in a long time, it was one of my escape routes. just leaving behind the pressures and demands of the work. The fact that I chose that path makes me feel incredibly ashamed.
He recalled: “My mother passed away unexpectedly in 2023. My uncle received a motor neurone disease diagnosis at the same time. Six officials were suddenly required for every game after COVID and the implementation of VAR.
“Last year, FIFA picked me to play in the Olympics, Euros, and Under-17 World Cup in Indonesia.
It meant that I played in over 90 games over the 2023–2024 season, frequently back-to-back.
“I went directly into the Euros at the end of last season, which was really stressful. I was going to Paris for the Olympics, so I had another event right away.
“I don’t recognise myself in the cocaine video,” Coote continued. That was me, however I can’t relate to how I felt at the time. There was no time to pause, and I was having trouble keeping up with the timetable. Thus, I ended up in that situation—escaping.
After a buddy informed Coote that he was betting on Leeds midfielder Ezgjan Alioski being booked prior to a 2019 match against West Brom, Coote is still being investigated.
“I hope you backed as discussed,” he wrote to his friend after warning the player during the game.
In this episode, Coote refutes any misconduct, stating: “There was no agreement prior to the game.” I went and completed my task. A yellow card tackle was committed by the player.
“I didn’t get anything in return. Since it compromises the integrity of the game, I’m quite sad that anything like this has surfaced. And regardless of what people may think of me as a referee, I have always given it my all on the pitch as a person.
I wasn’t feeling well, and I was messaging individuals I shouldn’t have, looking back. I was gullible.
“I wish I could go back in time and do things differently because I made some really bad decisions,” he continued.
After going to therapy, Coote also disclosed that he had now stopped using drugs.
“I put on this hard exterior,” he remarked. I was able to officiate football games and get completely absorbed in the action.
However, because I have two different selves, it would be harder when I returned home.
“I would advise others in my situation to get help and talk to someone because, if you keep it inside like I have, it will eventually come out.”
“It’s been really difficult because I loved the game,” Coote continued. I became a referee at the age of 14.
Knowing my fate and being able to reassess my priorities has made things easier for me.
“To make sure I’m in the best possible position to move forward, and to spend some time with family and friends.”
Dermot Gallagher, a former Premier League referee, responded to Coote’s remarks by telling talkSPORT: “It raises so many issues.”
“I believe that one of them made the strain that referees face quite evident.
It’s odd. A few weeks ago, I talked to Howard Webbe, the head of the PGMOL, about officiating, and I told him that I thought it was actually easier to officiate on the pitch these days than it had ever been.
When he asked me why, I replied because they have a backup system, mentors, and a sports psychologist. In his interview, David also mentioned that he doesn’t hear the abuse since he is mic’d up and can hear the other officials conversing, which actually muffles it. But it’s 100 times worse off the pitch, in my opinion.
“They didn’t have social media like we do now, and they didn’t have TV, radio, or anything else like that. They also didn’t have a CSI looking into referee decisions like we do now.”
“I believe that’s the reason because, when he discusses it, it’s just pressure after pressure,” he added. It’s fascinating how he describes how vulnerable he felt for a long time.
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