Sacked referee David Coote denies indecent child image charge

Former Premier League referee David Coote has pleaded not guilty to a charge of making an indecent image of a child.

The 43-year-old was charged on 12 August following an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police.

The force said the allegation related to a video file recovered by officers in February.

Ex-official Mr Coote, of Woodhill Road in Collingham, Nottinghamshire, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and enter his plea during the 18-minute hearing.

Mr Coote was granted conditional bail and is due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on 9 October.

The charge of making an indecent image of a child refers to activities such as downloading, sharing or saving abuse photos or videos.

Mr Coote was sacked by the Professional Game Match Officals Limited (PGMOL) in December after a video of comments he made about former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in 2020 came to light.

He was also banned by European football’s governing body Uefa until 30 June 2026.