David Coote's punishment divides Roy Keane and Ian Wright amid claims of 'stitch up'

Roy Keane and Ian Wright have clashed over the potential punishment for disgraced Premier League referee David Coote. During Thursday’s episode of The Overlap – recorded prior to the emergence of a video allegedly showing Coote consuming a white substance – the duo discussed the possible fallout for the 42-year-old official.

Coote was suspended by the PGMOL on Monday and an investigation was launched after two videos, allegedly from 2020, surfaced on social media, in which the official is seen criticising former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. In one clip, he slams a Reds performance as “s***,” and brands Klopp “arrogant” and a “German c***.”

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said it would be challenging for Coote to referee matches involving his former club or any of their rivals in the future, stating he “couldn’t see” how he could continue working in England due to the incident, a sentiment echoed by Wright. “I’m not saying he should leave the Premier League, but I can’t see how it works out for him [in the Premier League],” the former Arsenal striker said.

“This kind of mistake that he has made, and you go back to the people who have snitched on him, even though fourth officials all of them are snitches,” he added. “But the fact is that whoever has snitched on him has completely finished him in the Premier League simply because of all the variables that can happen.”

Interrupting, Keane said: “Nah. He’s slagged Jurgen Klopp off,” only for Wright to counter: “He’s really slagging Liverpool off.” Unfazed, Keane fired back: “No he isn’t, he’s slagging Klopp off. Is Klopp a Scouser?”

Continuing, the former Red Devils skipper said: “There are five of us here, we’ve all made crazy, daft mistakes. And every now and again, when you do make a mistake, you want everybody to give you a helping hand. If everyone just got punished for every mistake they made [then we’d all be in trouble]… It’s a big leap for a guy to make a big mistake like that, to then say never referee again.”

Gary Neville said he largely agreed with his former United team-mate, but conceded that Coote would probably be sacked. “I agree, Roy… I’m struggling with that a little bit,” he told the panel. “I think maybe a suspension of some kind [would be appropriate], but I think he should then be able to come back.

“It’s not a sackable offence in respect of him never working again in my view. If they cancel him, they’re effectively taking him off the employment list of everybody moving forward, and I don’t think that’s right.”

It comes after Neville suggested Coote had been “stitched up” by whoever had released the videos during an appearances on The Overlap US. The 49-year-old said the saga was a very bad look for the refereeing community, but insisted it wasn’t proof of corruption or anti-Liverpool bias.

“I didn’t see anything within his words that told me he had influenced decisions in a wrong way or that he was trying to do Liverpool over,” Neville said. “I hope they can get through it. If there had been any suggestion that he was making decisions against Liverpool or another club, I would say he has to go. He has called a manager a word because he has a bad relationship with him and they have had an argument.

“It was very sloppy. I am sure it is something he will regret for the rest of his life. But from a point of view of cancelling him, I am not sure. The minute you cancel him as a Premier League referee, you are effectively cancelling him from the game. I am not sure any organisation would look at him and offer him the chance to join.

“I actually think the worst words in the video were said by the guy sat next to him – ‘I hate Scousers’. Because that demonstrates a hatred to a group of people, which includes Liverpool and Everton.

“David Coote never said those words himself. He has been stitched up, and it is a mess. It looks like he got drunk and let his mate film him, which is stupid. We have all done silly things when we have had too many drinks.”

He added: “In employment law if you call someone a name, it is a warning. I don’t feel it is a sacking or dismissal. Taking him off Liverpool games and giving him a final warning is what I think should happen, not to lose his entire career. I don’t feel it has crossed that line.”