David Coote has been suspended by PGMOL after a leaked video appeared online.
Coote seemingly calls Jurgen Klopp a "c***" and Liverpool "s***" in a video that has appeared on social media. In a statement, PGMOL said: "David Coote has been suspended with immediate effect pending a full investigation. PGMOL will be making no further comment until that process is complete."
And Daily Star Sport has a look at four decisions that caused uproar among Liverpool fans where Coote was either the man in the middle or on VAR duties.
Jordan Pickford's challenge on Virgil van Dijk
This one is still a sore subject for the Reds - back when the world was in lockdown during the infamous Covid season, Jordan Pickford lunged at star defender Virgil van Dijk in a horror challenge, with the Dutchman tearing his ACL in the Merseyside Derby.
Coote was on VAR that day, and the decision fell to him. According to The Athletic, Coote wasn't looking at just a potential red card but also checking for a possible penalty for Liverpool and offside against Van Dijk. Van Dijk was given offside, so the possibility of a penalty was ruled out.
However, Everton's goalkeeper could still have been dismissed, but Coote somehow didn't deem the horrific foul worthy of a red card. After the game ended in a controversial 2-2 draw, Klopp accused him of "forgetting the rules".
Martin Odegaard's handball
Last December Liverpool fans were left fuming they weren't awarded a penalty in their 1-1 draw with Arsenal. Martin Odegaard had clearly handled the ball. Yet referee Chris Kavanagh didn't award Liverpool a penalty and the video assistant referee Coote reviewed the incident and confirmed the decision.
Coote could be heard to say the ball "clearly hits his arm", then after looking at another angle says: "So he is falling down, he's moving his arms in towards him, so it's check complete for me."
Howard Webb would later admit the referees had got it badly wrong: "The VAR looked at that aspect. He felt it was a case of Odegaard trying to make himself actually smaller by bringing the arm back towards the body. That is the element that's important here.
"Whether it's instinctive or deliberate, he gets a huge advantage by bringing the arm back towards the ball. All the feedback we got afterwards was very clear. This is one that didn't reach the right outcome on that basis."
Jordan Henderson offside Derby winner
We're going back to the Merseyside Derby during Covid for this one and after Van Dijk was hospitalised by Pickford, club captain Jordan Henderson saw his goal ruled out.
Henderson thought he had won the game, but Sadio Mane was judged to have been offside in the build-up. As Liverpool celebrated, referee Michael Oliver - with the aid of Coote on VAR - ruled the forward had been fractionally offside in the build-up to the goal, as Everton survived the late scare to take a share of the spoils.
Klopp insisted it was a "legitimate goal" ruled out after a lengthy VAR check - a decision that later prompted Liverpool to seek a review from the Premier League.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Mark Clattenburg said: "Don’t blame VAR - blame the law. Sadio Mane was ruled offside for Jordan Henderson’s goal and the Liverpool captain complained about the camera angle shown on television."
Andy Robertson's rant
Again in the lockdown season, Liverpool were left livid when they weren't awarded a penalty against Burnley.
In the 83rd minute, Robertson tried to get to a loose ball in the Clarets’ penalty box. Burnley’s Johann Gudmundsson cleared the danger but took the Reds’ Scottish defender down in the process.
Coote waved away the appeals, but Robertson approached the official at full time and: “How’s that not a penalty is a disgrace,” he said (via Empire of the Kop). “How the f*** is that not a penalty?"
The draw halted Liverpool's 24-match winning run at Anfield, with Klopp later telling TV cameras: "The referee let lots of challenges go so it was clear that if the ball comes into the box it was dangerous. We were angry with the referee but we have to criticise ourselves first for not finishing the game."
