Sacked referee David Coote has revealed he turned to cocaine over fear of coming out in the “macho world” of the Premier League. Tearful Coote said he took coke to “escape” after being forced to hide being gay. Coote also admitted he was “not sober” in his rant at ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, and got abuse and death threats as a ref. The sacked 42-year-old told how living a lie led him down paths that eventually torpedoed his career. Coote told The Sun: “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.” He says he has been in an “incredibly dark place” since news emerged of his drug-taking at Euro 2024. Without the support of family and colleagues, he added, “I’m not sure I’d be here today”. Giving his first interview since the scandal broke, he said he hoped to help break down the “macho world” of Premier League football. He added: “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 was suspended last October after footage showed him calling then-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp a “c***”. The Sun then revealed a film of him snorting powder at last summer’s Euros in Germany. We also told how he tried to arrange a drugs party during Spurs’ Carabao Cup win over Man City on October 30. Coote was then the subject of a new FA probe over allegedly issuing a yellow card to order - before he was eventually fired. In an emotional interview, he says a “pressure cooker” of suppressed emotion, combined with a punishing work schedule, left him wanting to “escape” with cocaine. He said: “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.” He recalled: “In 2023 I lost my mum very suddenly. At the same time my uncle was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. After Covid and the introduction of VAR, six officials were suddenly needed for each game. I was selected by FIFA for the U17 World Cup in Indonesia, as well as the Euros and Olympics last year. It meant that over the course of the 2023-24 season I was involved in more than 90 games - often back-to-back. At the end of last season I went straight into the Euros and that was incredibly pressurised. I had another tournament coming up immediately - heading to Paris for the Olympics.” The cocaine footage saw him inhale a 4in line up a US banknote. Another image showed his bank card next to six chopped-up lines. He said: “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 is still being probed after a pal told him he was putting money on Leeds player Ezgjan Alioski getting booked before a 2019 clash against West Brom. Coote did caution the player and later messaged his friend: “I hope you backed as discussed.” However, he told The Sun: “There was no agreement prior to the game. I went and did my job. The player committed a yellow card tackle.” He added: “I received nothing for it. I’m really disappointed that anything like this has come out because it tarnishes the integrity of the game. And whatever people think of me as a referee, as a human I have always gone out and done my best on the pitch.” Coote says he was merely trying to “deflect” the pal but admitted: “I wasn’t in a great place, and I was messaging people that in hindsight I shouldn’t have trusted. I was naive.” Coote says he “made some really poor choices and I really wish I could turn back the clock now and do things differently”. But he said he can instead take responsibility. After seeking therapy, he has kicked his drug habit. Coote said: “I put on this hard exterior. Football became a place where I could go and referee and be engrossed in the game. But then I’d come home, and it would be more difficult because I’m living a double sense of being. 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.” Coote believes the dramatic events which cost him his beloved job in football has helped him take stock. He said: “It’s been incredibly tough because I loved the game. I started refereeing when I was 14. I’ve found it easier since knowing my fate and being able to re-evaluate what’s important to me. To spend some quality time with family and friends, and take time to make sure I’m in the best place to move forwards.”
Source: The Sun
