Former Premier League referee David Coote pleads guilty to making an indecent image of a child

Former Premier League referee David Coote has pleaded guilty to making an indecent image of a child.

Coote, 43, entered the plea at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday after previously denying the charge. He appeared in court to face a charge relating to a Category A video, the most serious type, which police said was recovered in February.

Coote, who was sacked last year by the organization that manages referees in England over derogatory comments about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, was granted conditional bail by judge Nirmal Shant and told to appear in court again on December 11.

The judge said she ordered a pre-sentence report to be conducted before sentencing.

«You have pleaded guilty to a serious matter. Whether or not this means custody will be decided when all the information is in court, which is why I have ordered a pre-sentence report,» she said.

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Police said Coote was charged on August 12 in connection with a video file recovered by officers in February. According to police, the charge of making an indecent image covers actions such as downloading, sharing and storing material.

Coote made headlines last year when a video emerged of him using an expletive for Liverpool and a derogatory term for Klopp. Critics said the comments made him unfit to officiate Premier League matches, and he was sacked by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited in December.

In January, Coote came out as gay in an interview The sun and said a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to the rant about Klopp.

Published on October 14, 2025