David Coote’s lapses set to further inflame disrespect for referees

The David Coote affair has shed dreadful light on English football’s referees.

A series of drip-fed stories leaking into British tabloids have landed severe blows on the embattled Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the Premier League referees’ body.

As Coote’s misadventures piled up, the chances of him ever officiating a Premier League match became zero.

Having been caught on phone camera criticising former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, using the basest swear word, he was already on thin ice.

When videos of him snorting white powder before allegations of him organising illicit parties appeared, Coote’s image descended to that of someone with serious issues of judgment and, it is alleged, substance abuse.

How much the PGMOL, headed by Howard Webb, the 2010 World Cup final referee, knew about Coote’s extracurricular activities requires answers. And, are any of his colleagues acting in a similar fashion?

Those answers will probably come out in the aftermath and, if they are likely to be damaging to Webb et al, they are unlikely to supply a solution to the greatest problem refereeing faces in England – an almost universal lack of respect.

Attend Premier League matches, and the disrespect shown towards officiating is jarring.

It comes from several parties. Players dispute each decision, teams’ dugouts howl and moan in unison. At times, it can appear the fourth official between the dugouts is being man-marked. A couple of clubs even look to be operating a rota system where coaches take turns to bellow dissent at officials.

And in the stands, the abuse is yet worse.

On Nov 10, at Nottingham Forest, in their 3-1 loss to Newcastle United, this writer heard Anthony Taylor, the Manchester official, receive constant barracking from the first whistle, with one red-faced individual explosive, almost murderous in his rage.

No safety stewards stepped in. Clearly, refereeing decisions are seen as fair game for criticism.

Those of a middle-aged vintage will recall a time when referees were referred to as “Mr” and were often schoolmasters or solicitors – near-anonymous amateurs.

The onset of professional referees in the Premier League era has not brought any respect for that profession.

Instead, increased media coverage and certain bad actors, such as managers who chose to blame all bad tidings on the officials’ decisions, have made referees pariahs.

Many former footballers turned pundits hold grudges against officials and, within dressing rooms, all types of wild rumours are stated as facts.

Social media’s rise germinated new strains of conspiracy theories, some of which threaten to become mainstream opinions.

Officials like Taylor and Michael Oliver are less famous than notorious for their perceived biases, none of which are remotely proven.

Such pariah status is not exclusive to football.

The English referee Tom Foley stepped away from Test rugby after receiving death threats following the 2023 World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand, where he was the television match official.

A modern referee’s lot was not a happy one, becoming household names wholly unhelpful to doing the job. Coote’s folly and misjudgments have only made matters worse.