'Stitched up' - Gary Neville speaks out on David Coote video and suggests Liverpool punishment

Gary Neville does not think David Coote should be sacked after a video of him making X-rated comments about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp went viral. However, he does think the referee should never officiate another Reds match.

Coote is currently suspended after the video in question, believed to have been recorded a number of years ago, started to spread across social media on Monday. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) and Football Association (FA) have both since opened their own investigations into the video.

In the footage, Coote calls Liverpool "s**t" and Klopp a "German c**t". He was filmed alongside a friend - subsequently identified as former Nottinghamshire cricketer Ben Kitt - who made disparaging comments about Scousers.

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And while Neville was shocked by the video, he insists that Coote’s words do not suggest that he has ever been biased against Liverpool when officiating and that he should not lose his job over it as a result.

“It will bring great disappointment to David and the refereeing community," Neville told The Overlap US. "He has called Jurgen Klopp the c-word which is obviously a very aggressive word.

“But I didn’t see anything within his words that told me he had influenced decisions in a wrong way, or that he was trying to do Liverpool over.

"I hope they can get through it. If there had been any suggestion that he was making decisions against Liverpool or another club, I would say he has to go. He has called a manager a word because he has a bad relationship with him and they have had an argument.

"It was very sloppy. I am sure it is something he will regret for the rest of his life. But from a point of view of cancelling him, I am not sure. The minute you cancel him as a Premier League referee, you are effectively cancelling him from the game. I am not sure any organisation would look at him and offer him the chance to join.

"I actually think the worst words in the video were said by the guy sat next to him – ‘I hate Scousers’. Because that demonstrates a hatred to a group of people, which includes Liverpool and Everton.

"David Coote never said those words himself. He has been stitched up and it is a mess. It looks like he got drunk and let his mate film him, which is stupid. We have all done silly things when we have had too many drinks.

"It could become impossible for him to go into Premier League grounds or referee Liverpool again. We know that certain referees don’t take charge of matches at Old Trafford or Anfield or at other grounds because of their allegiance. For David Coote to be removed from Liverpool games would be a good step.

"In employment law, if you call someone a name, it is a warning. I don’t feel it is a sacking or dismissal. Taking him off Liverpool games and giving him a final warning is what I think should happen, not to lose his entire career. I don’t feel it has crossed that line."