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Soccer-UEFA ban English referee Coote until 2026
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 28, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 25, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 28, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 25, 2026
UEFA has banned English referee David Coote until 2026 following a misconduct investigation involving alleged drug use.
(Reuters) - English referee David Coote has been banned from any UEFA refereeing activity until June 2026, European soccer's governing body said on Friday.
Coote was fired by English soccer's referees' body, the PGMOL, in December, weeks after being suspended following a video circulating on social media which showed the official allegedly abusing Liverpool and their ex-manager Juergen Klopp.
UEFA opened an investigation into Coote in November after The Sun released a video appearing to show him snorting white powder while officiating at Euro 2024.
In a statement on Friday, UEFA said Coote had violated rules of decent conduct and brought "the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute".
Last month, Coote apologised for the actions that led to his sacking and said a fear of coming out as gay led him to turn to drugs.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Toby Davis)
David Coote was banned from UEFA refereeing activities until June 2026 for violating rules of decent conduct and bringing the sport into disrepute.
The investigation was initiated after a video surfaced showing Coote allegedly abusing substances while officiating at Euro 2024.
Coote apologized for his actions, stating that a fear of coming out as gay contributed to his drug use.
David Coote was fired by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December after being suspended.
David Coote's ban from UEFA refereeing activities is set to end in June 2026.
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