The Football Association has officially charged former Premier League referee David Coote for making offensive remarks about former Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp.

Coote was previously investigated by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after a disturbing video surfaced.

In the video, Coote was heard using an abusive term to describe Klopp, calling him a “German c***” and accusing him of being arrogant.

Another video reportedly showed Coote snorting a white substance. After the videos emerged, the PGMOL ended his contract in December.

There were also claims that Coote talked about giving a yellow card before and after a match between Leeds United and West Brom.

He was also accused of trying to set up a drug-fueled party based on messages sent before and during the Tottenham vs Manchester City game.

Now, the FA has released a statement confirming charges against Coote for his offensive comments in the leaked video. However, he will not face any charges regarding gambling allegations.

According to the FA’s statement, Coote was charged under FA Rule E3 for acting in an inappropriate and abusive manner in a video filmed around July 2020, which later went viral in November 2024.

The FA added that his words were not only offensive but also targeted Klopp’s nationality, making it an “Aggravated Breach” under their rules.

Despite the serious allegations, the FA confirmed that the gambling accusations against Coote have been fully investigated and dropped.

In a January interview with The Sun, Coote emotionally revealed that he is gay and shared how hard it was to keep that part of his life a secret.

He said he felt ashamed during his younger years and only came out to his parents at 21 and to friends at 25.

Although his sexuality wasn’t the only thing behind his personal struggles, Coote admitted it played a big role in how he lived and behaved.

He explained that while hiding his emotions helped him on the pitch, it damaged his personal life, leading to a lot of internal battles.

Coote also shared that he suffered from low self-esteem, much of it tied to his sexuality, and that the abuse referees get made it even harder for him to come out.

He said that while football still has a long way to go in fighting discrimination, he wasn’t ready to face more hate by revealing his identity earlier.

Over his career, Coote officiated 112 Premier League matches and also worked in the Championship, League One, and League Two.

Recently, it was revealed that Coote has taken up a job at the delivery company Evri.