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Former Premier League referee David Coote will appear in court today charged with making an indecent video of a child. The 43-year-old faces a category A charge relating to an incident on January 2, 2020.
Category A represents the most serious classification of such offenses, typically involving young children being sexually abused. The charge was brought following a police investigation by Nottinghamshire Police, with the video recovered by officers in February.
Court appearance
Coote will attend Nottingham Magistrates Court today for his first hearing. He was charged on August 12 and remains on conditional bail.
The case represents a dramatic fall from grace for the former top-flight official. Coote was dismissed by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December 2024 after a video surfaced showing him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and former manager Jurgen Klopp.
Professional sanctions
His troubles in football began well before the criminal charges emerged. The Football Association imposed an eight-week suspension in August this year over the Klopp footage.
UEFA also banned Coote from officiating in any of its matches until June 30, 2026. These sanctions effectively ended his career as an elite referee before the more serious criminal allegations came to light.
Sources used: "Liverpool Echo", "Daily Mail", "Nottingham Post" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
