Former Premier League referee Mike Dean says David Coote is “devastated” after a video emerged which appears to show him criticising Liverpool FC and their former manager Jurgen Klopp.
Coote has been suspended with immediate effect after a video allegedly showing him using foul language to insult the club and Klopp appeared online.
The clip appears to show the referee talking about the Merseyside giants while sitting on a sofa with a second individual.
In the video, Coote appears to brand Liverpool “s***” and refers to former manager Klopp as a “German c***.”
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited group (PGMOL) have launched an investigation and reports suggest European governing body UEFA have now stood Coote down from refereeing Nations League games over the international break.
Dean, who now works for Sky Sports, concedes the video has done huge damage to referees but does not believe it has to damage his career “beyond repair.”
“He'll be devastated, it's damaging for everyone involved. I texted him yesterday just to see how he was, he replied with a message which I wouldn’t share,” Dean told Sky Sports.
“I don’t think it’s damaged his career beyond repair. It’s something that’s never happened before and the PGMOL will have to have a very close look at what’s happened.
“What was said, how it happened, where he was when he did the video and I’d like to think that they can come to some kind of agreement. It’s also down to David, it depends on David, would he want to carry on because it doesn’t just affect him but his friends and his family as well.
"So does he want to put himself through it again, start refereeing again whether it’s the Championship, then get back into the Premier League but it will be hard to come back.
“He’ll be devastated, most of the referees will be devastated that someone has gone and done this video. Then to release it three or four years after it has supposedly been done but I’m very surprised by that.
“I think referees, assistants, coaches would have reached out to him and I think it’s something that’s never happened before. I’ve got a rough idea of what the process is and it’s one of those things that you never expect to see.
“You might see one or two things in general chat with colleagues but you don’t put something like this on video. He obviously says this video can never come out, you just hope it never does and unfortunately for David, it has come out three or four years if it’s verified.”
The Times also report that Coote could face an aggravated misconduct charge from the Football Association (FA) because he allegedly referred to Klopp’s nationality.
FA rules state that an “aggravated breach” includes a reference “whether express or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin and/or nationality”.
