David Coote is currently suspended by the PGMOL (Image: X)
Football bosses have rebuffed the idea of bringing in drug tests for referees and match officials in the wake of the recent David Coote controversy. Referee Coote is suspended pending an investigation after a video of him allegedly snorting white powder leaked online.
Coote was initially suspended following the emergence of a clip on social media in which he made derogatory comments about and their former manager .
A second video emerged appearing to show him sniffing white powder through a rolled up US bank note.
The PGMOL said: “We are aware of the allegations and are taking them very seriously. David Coote remains suspended pending a full investigation.
“David’s welfare continues to be of utmost importance to us and we are committed to providing him with the ongoing necessary support he needs through this period. We are not in a position to comment further at this stage.”
However, football’s governing bodies – FIFA, UEFA, the and WADA – have expressed no desire to bring in mandatory drug testing for referees.
A source from the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) told the : “We are not aware of plans to introduce testing of referees, and will continue to adhere to WADA rules.”
Referees currently are not required by WADA regulations to undergo drug testing.
It is said that drugs like cocaine wouldn’t impact a referee’s on-pitch performance but critics argue that any drug use by an official in the workplace would be both ethically and morally unacceptable.
The concept of referee drug tests isn’t new. In 2000, elite referee Keith Hackett proposed such testing, only for the idea to be dismissed over concerns of negative publicity.
Amidst the current scandal, the PGMOL have rallied behind Coote, aged 42, to provide him with support while the future of his professional career remains uncertain.