Coote Comes Out

Former Premier League referee David Coote has revealed that years of hiding his sexuality and struggling with shame contributed to the behaviour that ended his officiating career. Speaking publicly for the first time since his dismissal in December 2024, Coote came out as gay.

Coote came under scrutiny late last year after videos surfaced showing him making damning remarks towards former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp and using a white powder in a UEFA-booked hotel room. The videos led to an investigation by the PGMOL, resulting in his contract being terminated. 

In the interview Coote remarked how his inner struggle affected his behaviour. “My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to that position, but I’m not telling the full story if I don’t say that I’m gay and that I’ve had real struggles dealing with hiding that.”

He added that concealing his true self and emotions became a pattern in both his personal and professional life. “I hid my emotions as a young referee, and I hid my sexuality as well — a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being.”   

Coote shared that he has “had issues around [his] 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.” 

He acknowledged that the hostility referees face in football, combined with the broader attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community within the sport, made the prospect of coming out difficult. 

“I’ve received deeply unpleasant abuse during my career as a referee, and to add my sexuality to that would have been really difficult. There’s still a lot to be done in football and society more broadly when it comes to discrimination.”