Referee David Coote reportedly sent messages trying to organise a ‘drugs party’ – before and during half-time of a recent game between Tottenham and Manchester City.
A shock report in The Sun says Coote was making the arrangements during the Carabao Cup tie last month, a match where he was the fourth official.
Coote was suspended earlier this week by the Premier League’s refereeing body – the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) – after a video was widely circulated on social media of a foul-mouthed rant about Jurgen Klopp.
The Sun then subsequently published another damning video that showed Coote snorting a white powder in a hotel room during Euro 2024 in Germany, where he was officiating.
Now, a fresh report in The Sun has further called into question the conduct of one of English football’s leading referees.
The 42-year-old is alleged to have tried to arrange a ‘drugs party’ in a Travelodge hotel for after the Tottenham vs Man City game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which took place on October 30.
The report adds that Coote booked the room at 7:38pm, which was just 37 minutes before the game was due to start, before sending a booking notification to someone else at 8:04pm, just over ten minutes before kick-off.
Coote is then said to have sent another message to a friend about the planned evening at half-time.
The pal told The Sun: “On the day of the game he was messaging me repeatedly and wanting a drugs party after he’d finished at Spurs.
“He didn’t book the Travelodge until just before kick-off, then sent a notification 11 minutes from the game starting. It was crazy.
“City striker Erling Haaland was on the bench, so I was watching them on TV pretty much side by side. And moments before and afterwards he sent me messages.
“When he messaged me at half-time I thought it was so surreal.
“Surely he should have been concentrating on the game, not arranging drugs parties.”
The pal told the paper that the party did not go ahead in the end, much to the disappointment of Coote.
The Premier League referee is currently suspended by the PGMOL, and under investigation by the Football Assocation and UEFA.
Coote’s suspension came on Monday after an initial video circulated on social media appearing to show him labelling former Liverpool boss Klopp a “German c***”.
Pressed for his views on the former Liverpool manager, he remarked: “(Klopp is a) c***, absolute c***.
“Aside from having a right pop at me when I was refereeing them against Burnley in lockdown, he accused me of lying and then had a right f***ing pop of me.
“I have no interest in speaking to someone who is f***ing arrogant. So I do my best not to speak to him.
“(James) Milner is all right, I get on with him. You can see me there with a ‘mask’ on. But, my god, German c***, f**k me.”
A second video then emerged on Wednesday of the official appearing to take cocaine while at Euro 2024.
The video was taken on July 6, a day after Coote had been VAR official for quarter-final tie between Spain and Germany.
UEFA have already taken action against Coote by removing him from their list of officials for this week’s international fixtures, and have appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to conduct a full investigation into his conduct.
