Sacked Premier League referee David Coote reveals cocaine use, pressure of hiding sexuality in football

Referee David Coote. Photo / Getty Images

Sacked referee David Coote has admitted taking cocaine, as he opened up about his fear of coming out as gay in the “macho world” of the Premier League.

Breaking his public silence after his dismissal last month when a pair of videos were leaked showing him calling Jürgen Klopp a “c***” and appearing to snort white powder, Coote said he had been in an “incredibly dark place”, adding that without the support of family and colleagues, “I’m not sure I’d be here today”.

Coote said he had taken cocaine to “escape” after hiding his sexuality, as well as from the “pressure cooker” of refereeing at the highest level, which he said included death threats and abuse.

The 42-year-old told The Sun: “I felt a deep sense of shame during my teenage years in particular. I didn’t come out to my parents until I was 21. I didn’t come out to my friends until I was 25. My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to be in that position.

“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.”

He added: “I’ve had issues around my self-esteem – and that relates to my sexuality. I’m gay and I’ve 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.

“There’s a lot to be done throughout football and more widely in society with regard to discrimination. I didn’t want to be that person that was putting their head above the parapet to be shot at, given the abuse we all get as a referee in any event.”

Why was David Coote sacked?

Coote was suspended in October pending an investigation by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd into the emergence of his four-year-old rant against Klopp.

That was followed by a clip appearing to show him snorting white powder at last summer’s European Championship and later allegations that he discussed giving a yellow card before a Championship match between Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion in 2019.

He said of his cocaine-taking: “It’s not something I was reliant on day by day, week by week, month by month. I’ve had long periods where I’ve not used it – but it was one of the escape routes I had. Just getting away from the stresses, the relentlessness of the job. It fills me with a huge sense of shame to say that I took that route.”

Coote, who revealed his mother died suddenly in 2023 and that his uncle was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, said he had now kicked his habit, adding: “I don’t recognise myself in the cocaine video. I can’t resonate with how I felt then, but that was me. I was struggling with the schedule and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position – escaping.”

The Football Association is still investigating messages sent by Coote to a friend in which he wrote, “I hope you backed as discussed”, in the hours after he booked Leeds United left-back Ezgjan Alioski in a 2019 Championship fixture.

Coote said: “There was no agreement prior to the game. I went and did my job. The player committed a yellow-card tackle. I received nothing for it. I’m really disappointed that anything like this has come out because it tarnishes the integrity of the game. And whatever people think of me as a referee, as a human I have always gone out and done my best on the pitch.”