The PGMOL have already been forced to confirm David Coote is a Notts County fan, as accusations he supports Manchester United resurfaced during their clash with Luton.
The referee was the man making the decisions at Kenilworth Road and caused a stir when he failed to send off Casemiro in the first-half. The Brazilian was booked and minutes later committed a cynical foul but managed to escape a second yellow despite the home players surrounding the official.
The belief that elite teams receive preferential treatment from referees has long existed, and Coote’s failure to dismiss Casemiro simply served to reinforce that image. To reduce the possibility of being down to ten men, Erik ten Hag decided to take off the former Real Madrid player at halftime.
Gary Neville, a former United player turned commentator, acknowledges that he was taken aback to see Casemiro stay on the pitch. “He just lunges in after losing the ball, he’s a lucky boy [to not be sent off],” he stated on Sky Sports. He is really fortunate, ruffled, and they are all ruffled.
“Who is he shouting at, and why is he shouting? Garnacho? He’s taking a lot of flak for it, although in fairness, Garnacho wasn’t at fault—Casemiro dropped the ball! Casemiro, you have to be taken off the pitch at halftime if he can manage to stay on it for the next five minutes.”
Coote’s selection in last season’s Carabao Cup final between the Red Devils and Newcastle United was the subject of rumours. The PGMOL was forced to issue a statement after a photograph circulated implying that Coote was, in reality, a Red Devils fan.
Games involving the team they officiate cannot be arbitrated by referees. Then, it was established that Coote backed the League Two team, as reported by the Chronicle.
This season, Coote has made a number of contentious choices that have enraged Jurgen Klopp, particularly after he denied Liverpool a penalty against Arsenal in December. The German took aim at Coote, who was on VAR duty, for not stepping in after the game.
“I don’t say the ref can see it because I don’t know where he was at that exact moment,” he remarked. However, how can a man working in an office see that and not conclude that perhaps, just maybe, it might be worthwhile for the referee to take another look?”
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