Coote welfare 'important' for PGMOL as probe continues

Referee David Coote was suspended on 11 November

Refereeing body PGMOL says Premier League official David Coote's ongoing "welfare" is "important to us" as its investigation into his conduct continues.

Coote was suspended last week pending an investigation into a video which emerged in which the 42-year-old appeared to make disparaging remarks about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

The Football Association also launched its own investigation into the video, which has not been verified by the BBC but is being treated as genuine by the PGMOL.

"We are following an internal process and taking the allegations into David Coote’s conduct very seriously as part of our ongoing full and thorough investigation," the PGMOL said in a statement.

"Whilst David remains suspended, his welfare continues to be important to us and he is aware of the support network available to him."

Uefa, European football's governing body, has also launched its own investigation and suspended Coote.

Following the release of the first video, the Sun newspaper published pictures it says were taken during this summer's European Championship, alleging they appear to show Coote sniffing a white powder through a rolled up US bank note.

Coote worked at the Euros in his capacity as an official, and has been refereeing matches in the Premier League since 2018.

The pictures have also not been verified independently by the BBC, which has approached Coote for comment.