The Football Association (FA) in England has opened investigations into allegations of match-fixing by embattled referee David Coote, Afrosport reports.
Coote, 42, allegedly had a discussion with a friend about a yellow card before a match in England’s second tier, the Championship, and subsequently messaged him saying, “I hope you backed as discussed.”
The English referee reportedly exchanged messages with the unnamed fan about handing out a caution before and after a game between Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion in 2019.
Coote gave Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski a yellow card during the match. However, the booking is deemed entirely justified, and there is no suggestion of any financial gain to the referee.
“I strongly refute these false and defamatory allegations,” Coote said in a statement. “Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision-making on the field.
“I have always held the integrity of the game in the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the best of my ability.”
Coote is currently faced with a number of problems as the referee, who was suspended by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) earlier this month, is already under investigations by the FA as well as European football’s governing body, UEFA, following separate allegations about his conduct.
He was caught on video making derogatory comments against former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, and another video showed the referee snorting “white powder” while he was officiating at the Euros in Germany.
Coote, however, has denied all the claims against him, describing the allegations as “false and defamatory”.
He is one of England’s most experienced officials and has been handling games in the Premier League since 2018.
