Ex-Premier League Referee Charged in Child Image Case

Published on September 10, 2025

Former Premier League referee David Coote has been charged with making an indecent image of a child, Nottinghamshire Police has confirmed.

Coote, 43, was sacked from his officiating role in December after a video surfaced showing him making derogatory remarks about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in 2020.

According to authorities, the charge of making an indecent image of a child covers activities such as downloading, sharing, or saving abuse photos or videos.

The referee was charged on August 12 and is currently on conditional bail. He is expected to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

ALSO READ: FIFA Bars Argentina From Retiring Messi’s Iconic No. 10 Jersey

Nottinghamshire Police stated: “The allegation relates to a video recovered by officers in February.”

In a separate incident, Coote was also banned by UEFA until June 2026 after a different video showed him snorting a white powder through a bank note while in Germany for Euro 2024.

In a January interview, Coote publicly came out as gay, admitting that his struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to making “bad choices.”

For advert placement, publication of news content, articles, videos or any other news worthy materials on this Website, kindly send mail to [email protected].