Howard Webb comments on David Coote’s research. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images for Premier League)
Professional Game Match Officials Limited boss Howard Webb made his first public appearance on Tuesday night since the organization was forced to suspend David Coote over the referee’s comments about Liverpool and his former coach Jurgen Klopp.
Aiming to bring transparency to the sport, Webb has regularly appeared in public on Match Officials: Mic’d Up to address key decisions made by referees in recent Premier League matches.
The PGMOL chief was involved in the latest episode on Tuesday night and it couldn’t have come at a worse time for the 53-year-old after Monday’s events.
Footage emerged on social media on Monday afternoon showing the 42-year-old making disparaging comments about Liverpool and their former manager Jürgen Klopp.just days after the referee was the man in the middle for the Reds’ 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield.
The video showed Coote claiming Liverpool played “crap” in a game he was in and that Klopp is a “ca**t” after a recent incident with the German manager: a case the Merseyside club have chosen to keep quiet about for now.
The Premier League official has since been suspended by the PGMOL while an investigation was carried out The English referee could now face a more even punishment from the FA.
Howard Webb avoids details of David Coote’s investigation
Speaking about the incident on Match Officials: Mic’d Up, Webb stated that there is a “full investigation” into Coote’s video and it is a case that the PGMOL is taking “very seriously”.
“We became aware of a video that has been circulated on social media that we are taking very seriously. We have instigated a full investigation,” the PGMOL chief said through the Liverpool Echo.
“One of our referees David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect, pending the outcome of that investigation. And I can’t say much more at this stage until we work through that investigation.”
It is not yet clear when the findings of this investigation will be published, but it is likely to be before the Premier League restarts on November 23.
