Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey claims that David Coote’s sexuality was an open secret among his colleagues and says the 42 -year -old is worth a second chance.
Coote was fired by the Professional Game Match Abrlys Limited (PGMOL) in December after a video emerged from him using the frustration language to Liverpool and former manager of the Club Jurgen Klopp.
He is still under investigation by UEFA after a second clip showed him hitting cocaine while working at the European Championship last summer.
Exclusive referee David Coote opens his sexuality
Watch the complete interview here: https://t.co/zrryeinsxz pic.twitter.com/oxajjfzc9x
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Coote admits bad choices
Coote issued an apology in the sun last night, in which he admitted that he was struggling to be gay meant that he was not “in an excellent place” and had led to some “really bad choices”.
He said: “My sexuality is not the only reason that led me to be in this position. But I am not telling an authentic story if I do not say that I am gay and that I had real struggles by hiding this.
“I closed my feelings as a young reference and hid my sexuality – a good quality as a referee, but a terrible quality as a human being. And that led me to a whole course of behaviors.”
In the video that saw him call Klopp AC ***, he said: “I recognize that (his observations) fell very close to standards expected by a upper -level referee and deeply sorry saying what I said. The comments do not reflect my views for any of the people who are interested in or my wider views in general.
Coote was also accused of discussing with a friend the opportunity to present a yellow card at Leeds’ Ezgjan Alioski before a game against West Brom in 2019.
However, he insisted: “There was no agreement before the game. I went and did my job. The player committed a yellow card. I didn’t get anything about it.
“I am really disappointed that this has come out because it tarnishes the integrity of the game. And whatever people think of me as a referee, as a human being I came out and did my best on the pitch.
“I wasn’t in a great place, and I took out people I didn’t have to trust. I was naive.
Assumes responsibility – Halsey
Halsey, who retired from the arbitration in 2013 after a 14 -year Premier League career, said Coote’s sincerity should be recognized.
He told the BBC Radio 5 Live: “He comes out and assumes full responsibility for his actions, he does not excuses, he assumes full responsibility.
“He is a man, we all make mistakes in life. Everyone makes mistakes in life and deserve a second chance and no one should go through what David is going through. I really feel about him. When the referees gather, we all said things for players or managers. “
Coote has been threatened online and Halsey said he could like to suffer in the hands of the trumpets during his career.
“He has made some mistakes and is not worth the threat of death,” he added. “I had threats of death before my family, my wife who was fighting leukemia. They wanted to see us dead with cancer returning. Some of the things they wanted to do to my young daughter were just horrifying.”
‘We all knew about David’s sexuality’
Asked what the reaction would have been as a gay, while he was still a referee, Halsey said: “It would be very difficult. It shouldn’t be so. A man, he was a good man, so what about his sexuality.
“Society today is stinking and it is good that David has taken his friends and family to show him the love and company he has to take through it. I hope PGMOL helps him through it.”
