Former English Premier League referee David Coote has apologized for the actions that led to his sacking last month by referees’ body PGMOL, saying that the pressure of the job and fear of abuse due to his sexuality triggered his behavior.
Coote was fired after being suspended in November last year following a video circulating on social media showing the official allegedly abusing Liverpool and their former manager Juergen Klopp.
Coote, 42, who officiated more than 100 top-flight games, said a fear of coming out as gay led him to turn to drugs and added that he “was not sober” at the time of the video.
Photo: AP
“I want to apologize to anybody who I’ve offended by my actions ... you can tell by the video I wasn’t sober,” Coote told the Sun in an interview released on Monday. “I have received deeply unpleasant abuse during my career as a ref and to add my sexuality to that would have been really difficult.”
“My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to be in that position, but I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay, and that I’ve had real struggles dealing with hiding that,” he said. “I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well, a good quality as a referee, but a terrible quality as a human being.”
Coote was suspended by the PGMOL on Nov. 11 and the controversy escalated a few days later when the Sun released a video allegedly showing him snorting white powder while officiating at UEFA Euro 2024, prompting a new investigation.
Coote, who also officiated at last year’s Olympic Games, said he had been in an “incredibly dark place” since the video was published while struggling with pressure due to his workload.
“In 2023, I lost my mum very suddenly. At the same time my uncle was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. After COVID[-19] and the introduction of VAR [video assistant referee], six officials were suddenly needed for each game,” he said. “I don’t recognize myself in the cocaine video. I can’t resonate with how I felt then, but that was me. I was struggling with the schedule and there was no opportunity to stop, and so I found myself in that position, escaping. I received nothing for it. I’m really disappointed that anything like this has come out because it tarnishes the integrity of the game.”
The former referee said he was over his drug habit after having therapy, but still felt shame over his actions.
“I’m guilty of doing what I did, but I’m trying to be the best person that I can be now. I’ve taken steps to try and be the best I can be both from a physical and a mental well-being,” he said. “To other people who are in my situation, I’d say seek help and talk to somebody, because if you bottle it up like I have done, it has to come out in some way.”
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
RSS