JAKARTA - David Cotte has been fired from the position of Premier League referee by PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) or the body responsible for the referee in English football.

The dismissal came last month after Cotte was suspended in November 2024 following a video circulating on social media that he insulted Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.

Not only that, there is also another video showing the referee breathing white powder suspected of being drugs.

Recently, Cotte acknowledged the drug use in an interview with The Sun.

He said the use of these prohibited items was a form of his fear of being often harassed because of sexual deviations - same-sex.

Because of his behavior, Cotte apologized, especially for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp, and emphasized that what he did was not worth emulating.

"I want to apologize to whoever I have handled with my actions. You can see from the video that I am not aware."

"I've received a very unpleasant abuse during my career as a referee and adding my sexuality (deviation) into it would be very difficult."

"My quality is not the only reason that puts me in that position."

"However, I wouldn't have told an authentic story if I didn't say I was gay and that I was really struggling to hide it."

"I hide my emotions as a young referee. I also hide my sexuality. Good quality as a referee, but poor quality as a human being," Cotte told The Sun in an interview released on Monday, January 27, 2025.

Cotte was suspended by PGMOL on November 11, 2024, and controversy escalated a few days later.

The Sun at that time released a video allegedly showing him breathing white powder while leading the match at Euro 2024, prompting a new investigation by UEFA.

He also led the games at the 2024 Olympics and said he had been in a very dark place since the video was published while battling pressure due to his workload.

"In 2023, I suddenly lost my mother. At the same time, my uncle was diagnosed with motor nerve disease."

"After Covid and the introduction of VAR, six referees are suddenly needed for each game."

"I didn't recognize myself in the cocaine video. I couldn't feel what I felt at that time, but that was me."

"I struggled with the schedule and there was no chance to stop. So, I found myself in that position, running away."

"I don't accept anything for that. I'm really disappointed with something like this because it tarnishes the integrity of the game," said Cotte.

Now, the referee said that he had forgotten his habit of taking drugs after undergoing therapy, but was still embarrassed by his actions.

"I'm guilty of what I did, but I'm trying to be the best person I can be now."

"I have taken steps to try and be the best both physically and mentally."

"For other people who are in a situation like mine, I will say get help."

"Talk to someone. If you keep it as I have done, it must be disclosed in a certain way," said Cotte.

Cotte further cites his own example to show how relentless harassment from the stands and on social media can affect the referee's mental health.

"Every referee who takes to the field across the country from local play fields to the Premier League is human, not just referees."

"They have feelings. They may not show it, but it will affect them when they receive harassment."

"I've struggled. I've tried to overcome it in my own way and made bad decisions in doing so," he said.

Drugs Do Not Affect Field Decisions

Despite acknowledging drug abuse, David Cotte insisted that the prohibited items did not affect his decision on the ground.

In an interview with Sky Sports earlier this week, Coote said drug use did not affect his ability to make clear and concise decisions during matches.

The problem is, he revealed that the use of prohibited goods was not carried out before the match.

"I can understand why (people) might think that way. However, I want to make it clear that this is really a personal matter for me."

"It happened around my response to dealing with pressure and it happened after the game without affecting my job."

"Of course I wouldn't blame him for one example. I regret the move. I made a very bad choice at the time."

"There were times when I fled to a place I really didn't want to visit again," said the 42-year-old referee.

The disclosure of the Coote drug case made him at its lowest point in his life.

Shortly after The Sun released a video showing the referee using drugs, he had a chance to kill him.

"At first, it was really shocking, then when other stories started to come to light, it was really hard."

"At that moment and the first days, everything was really gloomy because I felt ashamed and guilty for what I had been doing so far."

"The situation I've been through makes me really have to rely on other people's support so I can survive."

"Otherwise, to be honest, I don't know if I'm going to be here. In the first week, I had thoughts of suicide."

"I didn't act immediately, but at the time, it was really difficult. A lot of people contacted me periodically because they were worried about my well-being."

"There are many things that I regret, either for doing or saying, everything is revealed within a week or more."

"In fact, in fact many of them happened in the past four or five years. In my mind, I forget all that."

"Then I found myself facing what really happened, which then revived difficult times and very tough thoughts," said Cotte.

David Cotte has also accepted his fate of being fired as a Premier League referee under the authority of PGMOL.

He has regretted his actions and apologized for insulting Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.

After leading more than 100 Premier League games throughout, even a 42-year-old man now has to gracefully close his career as a referee with a negative stamp.


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