Referee David Coote was allegedly filmed calling Jurgen Klopp a “c***” and the other man appearing to be in the video has now been suspended from his job while the incident is investigated
Referee David Coote was allegedly filmed calling Jurgen Klopp a “c***” and the other man appearing to be in the video has now been suspended from his job while the incident is investigated Referee David Coote was allegedly filmed calling Jurgen Klopp a “c***” and the other man appearing to be in the video has now been suspended from his job while the incident is investigated
The man who appeared to be filmed alongside David Coote as the referee allegedly called Jurgen Klopp a “German c***” in a leaked video has been suspended by his employers.
Former Nottinghamshire cricketer Ben Kitt is being investigated by executive recruitment firm Forsyth Barnes over the video, where he can allegedly be seen asking Coote about Liverpool and Klopp.
The video ends with Kitt allegedly saying: “Long story short, Jurgen Klopp’s a c***, Liverpool are all f***ing b******s, we hate Scousers.” And Forsyth Barnes have now released a statement about the incident.
“Forsyth Barnes understands that the leaked video of David Coote includes one of its employees, Ben Kitt,” the firm’s co-founder Roheel Ahmad said. “This is something that we are taking very seriously and we have suspended Ben on full pay while we investigate further.
“Although we are still in the process of gathering all the facts, we do know for certain that the video was taken some years before Ben became an employee of Forsyth Barnes. In his time with the business, Ben has demonstrated a strong [work] ethic and dedication to his career.
“He has matured considerably and grown into a responsible young man. To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, Forsyth Barnes will not be making any further comments.”
In a second video, Coote can be seen allegedly saying: “Right just to be clear, that f***ing last video cant go anywhere, seriously.” To which Kitt responds: “He’s a Premier League referee, let’s not f***ing ruin his career.
“Like let’s face it we’re good blokes but we can’t ruin a bloke’s career. We’re not that bad. Also he’s a f***ing legend.”
Coote has yet to address the video, but PGMOL boss Howard Webb did make a short comment about the incident on Match Officials Mic’d Up. “We became aware of a video that was circulating on social media,” Webb said.
“We’ve launched an investigation. One of our referees David Coote was suspended pending the outcome of that investigation. I can’t say much more than that.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Learn more
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £240 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Mirror – Sport