Former Premier League referee David Coote has been charged with making an indecent image of a child, following a months-long investigation by Nottinghamshire Police.
The 43-year-old, from the village of Collingham, was formally charged after police recovered a video file in February of this year.
Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the charge stems from material identified during digital forensic analysis.
Coote is due to appear before Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday to face the single charge.
He is currently on conditional bail.
A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police said:“We can confirm that David Coote, aged 43, of Collingham, has been charged with making an indecent image of a child. The charge follows a detailed investigation after a video file was recovered in February 2025. The matter is now before the courts, and we will not be making further comment at this stage.”
Once regarded as one of the top officials in English football, Coote’s career has sharply unraveled in the past year.
In December 2024, he was dismissed from his role by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after footage emerged of him making derogatory remarks about then-Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.
The video, which circulated on social media, triggered widespread condemnation and prompted an internal review by PGMOL.
Shortly after his dismissal, the Football Association (FA) issued a suspension pending further investigation into separate misconduct allegations.
UEFA subsequently imposed a ban in early 2025, prohibiting Coote from participating in any official European football activities until June 2026.
Despite the professional sanctions, it is the recent criminal charge that now casts the darkest shadow over Coote’s fall from grace.
Given the nature of the charge, further proceedings are expected to be held under strict reporting limitations to protect the integrity of the judicial process.
The Football Association, PGMOL, and UEFA have all declined to comment on the criminal case, citing the ongoing legal process.
