Former Premier League referee, David Coote, has been spotted making parcel deliveries for courier firm Evri, marking a dramatic shift from the football pitch to doorsteps.
The 42-year-old was dismissed by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited in December following the emergence of several controversial videos.
One of the clips showed Coote using an offensive slur against former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, while another appeared to capture him snorting a white powder.
PGMOL, led by Howard Webb, concluded that Coote’s behaviour rendered his position “untenable,” resulting in the termination of his contract with immediate effect.
The fallout deepened in February when UEFA handed him a 16-month ban, citing breaches of “the basic rules of decent conduct” and stating that he had brought the sport and UEFA itself “into disrepute.”
Since then, Coote has kept a low profile, until recently. According to The Sun, a couple’s ring doorbell camera in Newark, Nottinghamshire, captured the former official delivering a parcel on behalf of Evri.
Now working in his local area, Coote has spoken publicly about his new role for the first time, “I’m just trying to make an honest living,” he said. “I want to get on with my life. I’m trying to move forwards and regain a sense of responsibility and purpose. The job is keeping me busy and occupied, it’s not a new long-term career. I’m doing what I want to do, focusing on what’s important like spending more time with friends and family.”
The couple who received the delivery were stunned to see such a recognizable face at their door. However, locals say Coote has been a familiar presence around Newark lately.
A friend of the former referee also defended him, providing more insight into Coote’s life since the scandal.
“David’s a great lad who lost his career through stupidity, as he fully acknowledges,” the friend remarked. “There might be a return for him to the game at some point, and football definitely needs experts like him. Until then he obviously has to pay the bills.”
Coote, who officiated over 100 Premier League matches, was initially suspended by PGMOL on November 11 after the offensive video about Klopp surfaced.
Just days later, The Sun published another clip, allegedly showing Coote using cocaine in a hotel during Euro 2024, prompting UEFA to launch a separate investigation and suspend him from officiating European fixtures.
Adding to his woes, the FA later confirmed that Coote was under investigation over betting-related allegations.
He was accused of exchanging messages with a friend prior to a 2019 Leeds vs. West Brom match, allegedly suggesting a plan to book Leeds player Ezgjan Alioski. Coote has denied any wrongdoing in that case.
The original Klopp incident reportedly occurred in 2020 after a heated 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Burnley, where Andy Robertson confronted Coote over a denied penalty.
The video was said to have been shared with the media by one of Coote’s friends, while the alleged cocaine footage was self-recorded in a UEFA-funded hotel room.
Coote has since opened up about the toll these incidents have taken on his mental health.
“It was really difficult, I didn’t want to leave the house because I felt everybody would be judging me,” he revealed.
“I felt that every way I looked people were looking at me and thinking what’s he done, why has he done that, he’s let himself down, he’s let other people down, he’s let his colleagues, his friends, his family down.”
“I went shopping and for the first time everywhere I was looking in the supermarket I felt that everybody was watching me or was looking at me and judging me and I had a panic attack in one of the aisles and had to take some deep breaths.”
In a candid interview earlier this year, Coote also addressed his battle with drugs and the internal struggles tied to his sexuality.
“I felt a deep sense of shame during my teenage years in particular,” he admitted. “I didn’t come out to my parents until I was 21. I didn’t come out to my friends until I was 25.”
“My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to be in that position. But I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay, and that I’ve had real struggles dealing with hiding that.”
“I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well – a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being. And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours.”
Coote’s journey in refereeing began at the age of 14, starting as a linesman before moving up the ranks.
He joined the Football League referees list in 2010 and officiated the League One play-off final at Wembley in 2014.
His Premier League debut came in 2018 during a match between Newcastle and West Brom, and he later earned FIFA recognition between 2020 and 2022.
Though his career at the top may be over for now, Coote remains focused on rebuilding his life, one parcel at a time.
