David Coote is set to lose a significant amount of money, it is claimed, after being suspended by the PGMOL over an alleged video that contained derogatory comments towards Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.
The 42-year-old, from Nottingham, officiated Liverpool's 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday.
Two days later, a video was posted to Twitter which showed a man, alleged to be Coote, calling Liverpool "s**t" and making abusive remarks towards their former manager Jurgen Klopp.
The PGMOL - the refereeing body for professional match officials in English football - suspended Coote on Monday afternoon.
Advert
They have stated that they will make no further comment until a full investigation into the video has been completed.
The Daily Mirror's Darren Lewis reports that Coote has accepted that the video - which has not yet been officially verified - is genuine, but that he does not recall making the remarks.
Meanwhile, the FA are launching its own investigation into the footage, centring around an alleged comment by Coote which references Klopp's nationality. The FA's own rules state that such a reference can be constituted as an aggravated breach.
While the investigation is ongoing, Coote's suspension means that he cannot officiate a match in English football that is organised by the governing body. He was also due to officiate an international match this week but has been withdrawn from duty, BBC Sport report.
According to The Sun, referee chiefs believe that Coote could quit his role before any verdict is decided upon by the investigations into him.
That would lose him his key position as part of the PGMOL's Select Group - a role which he has held since 2018 and pays over £100,000 per year.
At the age of 42, Coote would, in normal circumstances, potentially officiate Premier League matches for many more years.
Mike Dean retired from refereeing at the age of 54 in 2022, while Lee Mason, Andre Marriner and Martin Atkinson were all Premier League officials into their 50s.
A source told The Sun: "He's looking at more than a million quid down the drain there when you add it all up."
Coote is yet to publicly comment on the alleged video or the investigations launched by both the PGMOL and the FA.
Speaking on the 'Match Officials Mic'd Up' show on Tuesday, PGMOL chief Howard Webb commented: "We became aware of a video on social media that we are taking very seriously. We have instigated a full investigation.
"David Coote has been suspended pending the outcome. There's not much more I can say at this stage."
Topics: Premier League, Liverpool, PGMOL
Ryan Smart