Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes that referee David Coote’s career in the Premier League is finished after a video allegedly showing him insulting Liverpool surfaced. The video, which went viral on Monday, allegedly features a man’s voice calling Liverpool the “s” word and former manager Jurgen Klopp the “c” word. Coote has been suspended by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) pending an investigation.
Carragher expressed doubt in Coote’s future in refereeing on the podcast The Overlap, stating that he is unsure how Coote can continue to referee in England, particularly given the intense scrutiny referees face on social media. He questioned how Coote could impartially referee Liverpool’s rivals, specifically Everton. He said,
“He [Coote] has had a nightmare and I’m not sure how he can referee in England again. When the [other] fella is saying what he said to the camera, just end the recording.
“I can’t imagine what [Coote] is going through now and I don’t want that cancel culture, but how can he now ref a rival? It’s not just that he can’t referee Liverpool, how does he referee Everton?”
While the podcast host Gary Neville agrees that Coote deserves a suspension, he doesn’t believe the alleged incident warrants dismissal. Neville believes that calling someone a derogatory name should not result in a lifetime ban from officiating. He suggests that Coote should be allowed to return to refereeing in the Premier League after serving a suspension, though he acknowledges that officiating Liverpool matches would likely be off-limits.
Carragher expressed concern about the individual who retained the video for four years before releasing it, highlighting the potential for harm through social media. He also raised a broader point about the expectations placed on referees, questioning whether people believed referees harbored negative opinions about teams or individuals before this incident.
