Former Premier League referee, David Coote
Former Premier League referee, David Coote, has come out as gay and explained why he took cocaine as an “escape route” from his “real struggles”.
The 42-year-old was axed as a top-flight match official in December 2024, having initially been suspended following the release of a video in which he branded ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp a “c***”. Footage later emerged of him taking Class A drugs at Euro 2024.
Coote has now revealed that living a lie in his private life led to poor decisions being made that impacted his profession. He has told The Sun of finally revealing his sexuality: “I felt a deep sense of shame during my teenage years in particular. I didn’t come out to my parents until I was 21. I didn’t come out to my friends until I was 25.
“My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to be in that position. 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. And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours.”
Coote went on to say of his struggles in the “macho world” of football: “I’ve had issues around my self-esteem — and that relates to my sexuality. I’m gay and I’ve struggled with feeling proud of being ‘me’ over a long period of 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.
“There’s a lot to be done throughout football and more widely in society with regard to discrimination. I didn’t want to be that person that was putting their head above the parapet to be shot at, given the abuse we all get as a referee in any event.”
Coote admits that he was “not sober” during his Klopp rant and said of his drug use: “It’s not something I was reliant on day by day, week by week, month by month. I’ve had long periods where I’ve not used it — but it was one of the escape routes I had. Just getting away from the stresses, the relentlessness of the job. It fills me with a huge sense of shame to say that I took that route.”
Coote says that, after seeking therapy, he has kicked his drug habit. He is now – having been a referee since the age of 14 – looking to “spend some quality time with family and friends, and take time to make sure I’m in the best place to move forwards”.
Coote says that, after seeking therapy, he has kicked his drug habit. He is now – having been a referee since the age of 14 – looking to “spend some quality time with family and friends, and take time to make sure I’m in the best place to move forwards”.
