David Coote, the former Premier League referee who was sacked last year following a series of scandals, has been charged with making an indecent image of a child. Nottinghamshire police confirmed the charge is a Category A offence, the most serious classification, and relates to a video recovered by officers in February.
The charge of making an indecent image of a child covers activities such as downloading, sharing or saving abuse material. Category A images typically involve children in penetrative sexual activity, according to Sentencing Council guidelines.
Coote, 43, was charged on 12 August and is on conditional bail. He is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
He was dismissed by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMO) last December after a video emerged showing him making abusive remarks about then Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in 2020. Another clip showed him snorting a white powder while working as an official at the 2024 Uefa European Championship in Germany.
In January, Coote gave an interview to the Sun in which he came out as gay and said a lifelong struggle to hide his sexuality had contributed to his behaviour. Earlier this season, PGMO chief refereeing officer Howard Webb effectively ruled out a return for Coote, saying it would be ‘really difficult’.
In February, Uefa banned Coote from officiating in any of its matches until 30 June 2026, and in August the Football Association suspended him over the Klopp footage.
