Accomplice in alleged David Coote video involving Liverpool insults ‘suspended from job’

The second man in the video allegedly involving David Coote, in which Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp are insulted, appears to have been suspended from his job. In the footage, the accomplice is heard calling Klopp “a c***” before saying “Liverpool are all f****** b***ends and we hate S*****s.”

Premier League referee Coote is currently suspended from officiating pending an investigation from Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), while the Football Association has also launched its own probe. The 42-year-old had overseen Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.

In the said footage, which first emerged on Monday, the man alleged to be Coote can be seen calling Liverpool “s***” while branding Jurgen Klopp “a c***”. The man goes on to say: “Just to be clear, that last video can't go anywhere, seriously,”

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The other man in the video has been named in reports as former Nottinghamshire cricketer Ben Kitt - pictured above in 2017 - who appears to now work for recruitment firm Forsyth Barnes. Kitt appears on the company’s website as a ‘Principal Recruitment Consultant, Marketing eTail Specialist’.

Forsyth Barnes lists Manchester United, tennis championships Wimbledon and Ticketmaster among its clientele. Kitt, 29, left Nottinghamshire CCC in 2019.

The right-arm seamer signed a professional deal with the club in 2017, having previously tallied more than 100 wickets for the academy and second team, but suffered a stress fracture in his first year. He never made a first-class appearance.

In a statement shared by the Telegraph, Forsyth Barnes co-founder Roheel Ahmad said: “Forsyth Barnes understands that the leaked video of David Coote includes one of its employees, Ben Kitt. This is something that we are taking very seriously and we have suspended Ben on full pay while we investigate further.

“Although we are still in the process of gathering all the facts, we do know for certain that the video was taken some years before Ben became an employee of Forsyth Barnes. In his time with the business, Ben has demonstrated a strong [work] ethic and dedication to his career.

“He has matured considerably and grown into a responsible young man. To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, Forsyth Barnes will not be making any further comments.”

A spokesperson for Kitt declined to comment to the Telegraph. Meanwhile, PGMOL chief Howard Webb has spoken out about the footage.

Appearing on referee analysis TV show Mic’d Up on Tuesday, the former World Cup final official said: "We became aware of a video that’s been circulated on social media that we are taking very seriously. We’ve instigated a full investigation.

“One of our referees David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect, pending the outcome of that investigation. And there’s not much more I can say at this stage until we work through that investigation.”