Referee David Coote appears to snort white powder in video filmed during Euro 2024

David Coote, the referee suspended over a foul-mouthed tirade about Jürgen Klopp, appears to snort white powder in new footage allegedly filmed during Euro 2024, where he officiated.

An eight-second film allegedly showing him with a rolled-up banknote was said to have been taken 24 hours after he provided VAR assistance for France’s quarter-final win over Portugal, played in Hamburg on July 5.

Videos and photographs were obtained by The Sun two days after the Premier League referee was suspended over two other clips showing him repeatedly calling Klopp a “c---” after officiating a Liverpool match.

Credit: X / @AnfieldEdition

The first new video, reportedly shared via WhatsApp by Coote, shows white powder on a bedside table alongside prescription drugs, a credit card and the Terry Hayes novel The Year of the Locust. The footage was believed to have been taken in a Uefa-funded hotel room. A separate photo sent from Frankfurt on July 1 allegedly shows Coote’s credit cards on a saucer either side of six lines of powder.

Coote was already facing dismissal by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), with the Football Association also investigating an outburst in which he also calls Klopp “f------ arrogant”.

In response to the further video of Coote apparently snorting white lines on July 7, a PGMOL spokesman said: “We are aware of the allegations and are taking them very seriously. David Coote remains suspended pending a full investigation. David’s welfare continues to be of utmost importance to us and we are committed to providing him with the ongoing necessary support he needs through this period. We are not in a position to comment further at this stage.”

Uefa said in response to the new footage that its referees committee “immediately suspended David Coote until further notice on Nov 11 – in advance of the upcoming round of Uefa matches – when it became aware of his inappropriate behaviour”.

Telegraph Sport has also attempted to contact Coote separately.

The source, who shared the new footage with The Sun, claims videos were sent over the summer from France, where Coote officiated at three football matches at the Paris Olympics. They included Israel versus Japan on July 30, where he was in charge of VAR.

Coote apparently boasted of taking drugs repeatedly during tournaments and league matches, The Sun reports.

The source said: “I believe that the FA and the governing body of the referees have to make sure that the sport we all love is protected and being officiated by the right people. My message to David Coote is…there’s help out there.”

The source who leaked the new footage to The Sun said Coote had previously been abusive about Liverpool. “The video of him bad-mouthing Klopp didn’t surprise me at all. He said to me Liverpool would definitely not win the Premier League. It just makes me question the kind of people running the Prem. He also described Andy Robertson as a ‘Scottish p---k’.

“He did say that the worst place to referee was Goodison Park due to the young Scousers screaming, shouting, swearing at him and calling him every name under the sun before the games had even started.

“And he mentioned he hated going to Bournemouth because it was just such a long way away. He did mention about Coventry City versus Oxford United on a Friday night on Sky Sports. He couldn’t really be a---- with this game… the fact that he had to go and referee in front of an empty Ricoh Arena. He said, ‘I’m a bit too big for this’.”

On Tuesday, Telegraph Sport reported how the man filmed alongside Coote in the other videos showing him abusing Klopp had also been suspended from his job. Former Nottinghamshire cricketer Ben Kitt is being investigated by his employers, executive recruitment firm Forsyth Barnes, clients of which reportedly have included Manchester United and Real Madrid.

The tirade against Klopp, which was posted to social media on Monday, appears to have been filmed in the wake of Liverpool’s 7-2 thrashing by Aston Villa in October 2020.  Coote, whose father was a cricketer for Nottinghamshire, has yet to respond to any of the allegations.