Amid the controversy surrounding David Coote, his remarks and his actions over the last 72 hours or so, former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has suggested that he ‘feels for Coote’ despite him taking it a ‘step too far’.
Coote, 42, was suspended by the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) after footage emerged of him badmouthing former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. He labelled him a “German c***” before insisting he was “f****** arrogant”.
A second video was then released on Wednesday evening, first by The Sun, of Coote – in a UEFA-funded hotel during the course of Euro 2024 – allegedly snorting a line of white powder just one day after serving as a VAR for Germany’s clash with Spain.
Writing in his Mail Online column, Clattenburg – who once worked in a Referee Analyst Role at Nottingham Forest – referenced the Klopp-focused footage and suggested that it’s a poignant ‘wake-up call’ for the rest of the refereeing contingent in the country.
“That David Coote clip is one enormous wake-up call for all of the Premier League’s referees, a 74-second warning about how easily your livelihood can be left in ruins.
“They receive so much training, more than you realise.” he wrote, as he listed off the number of workshops that focus on where to position themselves on the pitch, how to handle an aggressive player or what’s needed to be deemed a ‘clear and obvious’ error.
Clattenburg - who took charge of 291 games in the English top flight between 2004 and 2017 - did insist that referees are given a lack of training on how to remain vigilant at all times while away from the pitch given the position they are in on a weekly basis.
“You can have your own personal view on Jurgen Klopp, of course you can. Now that I’m retired, I can say I wasn’t a fan of his aggressive approach. But it goes without saying that Coote took it a step too far.”
Following his suspension by the PGMOL, the five times David Coote has overturned decisions during Liverpool games while the VAR have re-emerged.
Before turning to being a columnist for Mail Online and, albeit temporarily, working for the Tricky Trees in an official capacity, Clattenburg was one of the most famous and, perhaps, well-respected officials in the English top flight.
That said, however, he can resonate with Coote’s feeling of loneliness after being suspended himself back in the day: “I feel for Coote in a way, because I know what it is like to be suspended by the PGMOL.
“That loneliness, to have so much scrutiny on you, your mental health in decline, worried that if you leave your home there will be somebody there waiting, paparazzi wanting a picture of you looking dishevelled or something.”
Clattenburg experienced being sacked in 2008 for something relating to his own personal interests. He wrote: “I experienced all of that in 2008, for something that had nothing to do with football.
“It was related to business interests I had at the time which they claimed breached my contract. They even sacked me. I appealed, and won, and returned to refereeing Premier League games because I had done nothing wrong, but it was frightening, the way my life could be turned upside down in no time at all.”