FA investigating allegations referee David Coote discussed booking player before a game
A newspaper alleges the referee’s friend had told him to show a player a yellow card so he could place a bet – and the player was shown one
Suspended Premier League referee David Coote is the subject of another investigation by the Football Association, this time following allegations that he discussed the possibility of booking a player with a friend before a match.
Coote denies any wrongdoing, according to British newspaper The Sun, which published the allegations.
On Tuesday, The Sun newspaper said the friend had jokingly told Coote to issue a yellow card to then-Leeds United player Ezgjan Alioski during a second-tier Championship match against West Bromwich Albion in 2019 so that he could place a bet with bookmakers.
The newspaper alleges that after Coote booked the player, he messaged the supporter back to say: “I hope you backed as discussed.”
Said the FA: “These are very serious allegations, and we are investigating as a matter of urgency.”
The Sun’s story included a statement from Coote, in which he said: “Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life, they have never affected my decision-making on the field.
