Former Premier League referee, David Coote has been a shocking revelation about his sexuality after he was sacked by the referee body in England.

David Coote in an interview with the Sun which was released on Monday, January 26, 2025, confirmed that he was gay but hid his identity because of the abuse he might get for his identity. The 42-year-old confirmed that the pressure of his work contributed to the behaviour that led to his sacking by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December 2024.

He said,

“I am gay and I have struggled with feeling proud of being ‘me’ over a long period of time. 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 is not the only reason that led me to be in that position.”

He continued,

“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. 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, And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours.”

In a different statement which was also released on Monday, David Coote apologised to everyone whom he spoke negatively about in the video that circulated in the Internet about former Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp.

This has been one of the most difficult periods of my life. I take full responsibility for my actions, which fell way below what was expected of me.

“I am truly sorry for any offence caused by my actions and for the negative spotlight it put on the game that I love. I hope people will understand that they were private moments taken during very low times in my life. They do not reflect who I am today or what I think.”

Coote was initially suspended by the PGMOL on 11 November after a video emerged on social media of him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and the club’s former manager Jurgen Klopp.

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