David Coote was taken off Liverpool match after controversial incident and Klopp complaint

David Coote was previously taken off a Liverpool FC match after a controversial incident that led to a Jurgen Klopp complaint.

The Premier League referee has been suspended by PGMOL pending investigation, with the English FA also believed to be looking into the matter.

After initially said to have denied the incident, Coote has since accepted it was him in the video which appears to show the official calling Klopp a ‘German c***’.

But Coote has never been a fan favourite at Anfield, with the referee having been taken off VAR duty for a Liverpool game in 2020.

It came just weeks after Coote was at the centre of a storm regarding Jordan Pickford’s late tackle on Virgil van Dijk in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

Coote was on VAR duty for the behind-closed-doors encounter, but didn’t deem Pickford’s challenge, which left Van Dijk out of action with an ACL injury, worthy of intervention.

Liverpool, disgruntled with the decision, contacted PGMOL to question why the incident wasn’t punished, with Pickford also escaping a retrospective ban.

Instead, Coote was removed from VAR duty for Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Leicester City later that season.

It sparked plenty of debate online at the time, with Gary Neville, who tweeted “Strange . Why?”, among those voicing their confusion.

But, it wasn’t the first time Coote was caught up in drama involving Liverpool, with the referee having been confronted by Andy Robertson following a game against Burnley earlier that year.

The left-back was aggrieved by a number of decisions in the 1-1 draw, with the television cameras catching Robertson saying: “How’s that not a penalty is a disgrace. How the f*** is that not a penalty? You didn’t see f****** anything.

“You didn’t see anything the whole game apart from f****** booking them in the last minute. F*** me. What’s the point in having you in the middle? What’s the point in having you? F*** me. Honestly.”

Speaking after the contest, Klopp said: “I spoke about the goalkeeper situation. It is not the best moment to talk to the ref but how can you let it happen: a goalie constantly when he comes three players are allowed to block him?”

“For the ref it was obviously not a foul or a problem so that is why he left it. It had no influence on the result, how I realised later.”

Coote last refereed Liverpool at the weekend, taking charge of the Reds’ 2-0 win over Aston Villa.