David Coote

[WillG]

Would you welcome him back as a referee in the Prem?

I personally wouldn't have a problem with it.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jan/28/breaking-down-macho-cultures-no-the-sun-is-simply-monetising-david-cootes-distress

[Begbie]

No

He's a terrible ref and is compromised. Give someone else a chance

 

[Redwire]

No.  s*** ref who's massively biased against us.  

[Gethin]

No.

If you've got biases against people or teams as a referee and they become public knowledge like this, your position is untenable. 

It's absolutely s***e in 2025 that people are still in a position where they can't be open about their sexuality 'cos it'll affect their job & I hope he finds some happiness & balance now he hasn't got it all hanging over him.

But what he's said and done should preclude him from being able to influence a game of football again. 

[dyl]

No.

And you've misspelled David C*nt in the thread title

Edited January 28 by dyl

[WillG]

Tough crowd

[Bogman]

Nope.

I’d drop him down to the bottom division and his ceiling would be the Championship.

Just now, WillG said:

Tough crowd

He can’t come back from what he said.

[muleskinner]

9 minutes ago, WillG said:

Tough crowd

He's got no special right to be a referee in professional football and he has f***ed s*** up beyond repair.  He can go and get a job like anyone else.

[WillG]

I understand everything that’s been said but it sticks in my craw that it’s The Scum that done him.

I bet every single ref has called Klopp a c*nt at some stage but they weren’t off their t*** with a couple of rent boys.

[Gethin]

3 minutes ago, WillG said:

I understand everything that’s been said but it sticks in my craw that it’s The Scum that done him.

I bet every single ref has called Klopp a c*nt at some stage but they weren’t off their t*** with a couple of rent boys.

They weren't "rent boys", they were friends of his - at least at one point. 

[Ombudsam]

2 hours ago, WillG said:

Would you welcome him back as a referee in the Prem?

I personally wouldn't have a problem with it.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jan/28/breaking-down-macho-cultures-no-the-sun-is-simply-monetising-david-cootes-distress

Why?

[Cobs]

He can’t referee in the PL again

[WillG]

2 hours ago, Gethin said:

They weren't "rent boys", they were friends of his - at least at one point. 

You say potatoes…. I say rent boys

They sold him out

1 hour ago, Ombudsam said:

Why?

Catholic upbringing……

Everyone deserves a second chance unless they played for Rangers???

[Gethin]

12 minutes ago, WillG said:

You say potatoes…. I say rent boys

Unnecessary homophobic s***e. Do better. 

[Hassony]

7 hours ago, WillG said:

I understand everything that’s been said but it sticks in my craw that it’s The Scum that done him.

.

And then he decided to give them an exclusive 

f*** him

[libero]

2 hours ago, Hassony said:

f*** him

After his latest revelation he might well like that....

[Barnesy_10]

If he hadn't been clearly against us with his decision making on the pitch then I wouldn't have a problem with him returning to refereeing. Am sure plenty of refs have favourite managers and dislike a lot of managers.. But he has clearly shown poor refereeing decisions and bias against us on the pitch so he can f*** off regardless of his sexuality. 

[Jarg Armani]

It’s f*** all to do with sexuality 

From an employment perspective there’s been an allegation of gross misconduct that’s clearly had evidence, no clear mitigation strong enough to dismiss it, and the employer would have likely brought itself into disrepute by not terminating his employment.

None of that changes with this article. He isn’t blocked from getting a job with a new employer, he will probably find it tricky as anyone would after a high profile dismissal, but on the other hand he’s got a high level skill that’s transferable to most places in the world, so he should be fine.

[smithdown]

What do arsenal supporters think?  They’re normally all over stuff like this.  

[PhilM]

How can you possibly restore any kind of faith in him as a referee? He has failed to hold himself to any standard of professional conduct, on or off the pitch. Has shown bias when the entire job is to be impartial and objective. If he has shown clear bias against us like that, there's no way that he won't be under scrutiny like this for every bad decision that he makes.

1 minute ago, smithdown said:

What do arsenal supporters think?  They’re normally all over stuff like this.  

They're probably saying that he was only outed because he loves the Arsenal (no, I'm not making the cheap joke for a change) and it's all a conspiracy to give richer, less injury addled, much less hard done by clubs a better chance at the title.

[smithdown]

I think he should get his job back but only if he wears a welly on his head that says ‘I sold my story to the s*n after they ruined my life what kind of c*** am I?’

[Candystore]

Needs to serve a drug ban before he's considered for any job.

No chance of coming back to the PL.  

[Greenoak]

No way.. let him rot

As f***ed up as the PGMOL is, even they can be that stupid to re-employe him.

Non league are always looking for refs.. I would not let him back into the professional game at all.

He can f*** off to middle east..

[WillG]

3 hours ago, smithdown said:

What do arsenal supporters think?  They’re normally all over stuff like this.  

They think they’re just one good signing away from winning the league

11 hours ago, Gethin said:

Unnecessary homophobic s***e. Do better. 

It wasn’t intended that way - I believe his ‘friends’ were professionals who set him up.

Certainly looks that way.

[Gethin]

4 minutes ago, WillG said:

It wasn’t intended that way - I believe his ‘friends’ were professionals who set him up.

Certainly looks that way.

If you make the "rent boy" association here just 'cos he's come out as gay then it's homophobic stereotyping - whether you intended it or not. 

You've got no basis for knowing who the other people were and why the videos got released. Someone (Muley?) I think said a while back that one of them in the "Klopp" video was an ex-Nottinghamshire cricketer, so it's more likely that it was friendship/relationship with people from his home-town gone bad than any kind of set up.