Former Premier League referee David Coote has admitted that he concealed his sexuality throughout his career for fear of being abused because he is gay.
Coote, 42, said that the pressure of his job contributed to the actions that resulted in his dismissal by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December.
In an interview with the Sun published on Monday night, he said, “I’m gay, and I’ve fought to feel proud of being me for a long time.
“I have received deeply unpleasant abuse during my career as a ref, and to add my sexuality to that would have been really difficult.”
Coote, who refereed more than 100 top-flight games, gave his first interview to the Sun, the publication that broke the story of his misbehaviour.
In a subsequent statement made late on Monday, he apologised for the conduct that led to his dismissal, saying,
“This has been one of the most difficult periods of my life. I take full responsibility for my actions, which fell way below what was expected of me.
“I am truly sorry for any offence caused by my actions and for the negative spotlight it put on the game that I love. I hope people will understand that they were private moments taken during very low times in my life. They do not reflect who I am today or what I think.”
Speaking about his sexuality, Coote said he felt a “deep sense of shame” during his teenage years and told his parents when he was 21 and his friends when he was 25.
“My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to be in that position,” he said. “But I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay and that I’ve had real struggles dealing with hiding that.
“I hid my emotions as a young ref, and I hid my sexuality as well—a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being,” he said. “And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours.”
He spoke out as police examine “threats and abuse” aimed at referee Michael Oliver after Arsenal’s match against Wolves on Saturday.
Coote said that he got death threats throughout his career, with some being directed at his late mother.
He also stated that he needed to have a fast response tag installed at his home address so that he could contact authorities in an emergency.
The PGMOL initially suspended Coote on 11 November after a video surfaced on social media showing him making disparaging remarks against Liverpool and the club’s former manager, Jurgen Klopp.
He now apologises “to anybody who I’ve offended by my actions” and admits that he “was not sober” when the video was filmed.
On November 13, the Sun published images from last year’s European Championship, stating that they showed Coote inhaling a white powder via a rolled-up US bank note.
His actions are being investigated by the Football Association and European football’s governing body, UEFA.
Coote told the Sun that he had been in an “incredibly dark place” since the images of him at the Euros were published and that he was “not sure I’d be here today” without the help of family and colleagues.
On November 27, the FA launched a new inquiry into allegations that Coote discussed issuing a yellow card before a Championship match between Leeds and West Brom in 2019. He has consistently refuted the charges.
When asked about the events that led up to his dismissal, he reveals his mother died unexpectedly in 2023, and his uncle was diagnosed with motor neurone illness about the same time.
In the 2023-24 season, he says he refereed more than 90 games around the world, followed by the European Championship and then the Olympics, and suffered with the pressure and stress of his job, saying, “The physical and psychological demands on match officials are really significant.
“I don’t recognise myself in the cocaine video. I can’t resonate with how I felt then, but that was me. I was struggling with the schedule, and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position—escaping.”
Coote stated that he is over his drug habit after having therapy and felt “a huge sense of shame” for what happened.
“I’m guilty of doing what I did, but I’m trying to be the best person that I can be now. I’ve taken steps to try and be the best I can be, both from a physical and a mental well-being perspective,” he added.
“To other people who are in my situation, I’d say seek help and talk to somebody because if you bottle it up like I have done, it has to come out in some way.”
