The Football Association has suspended former Premier League referee David Coote for eight weeks and ordered him to attend an education programme after he admitted making derogatory remarks about ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. The governing body ruled that Coote’s language, recorded in a video circulated on social media, constituted an “aggravated breach” of FA rule E3.2 because it referenced Klopp’s German nationality. Coote was dismissed by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd in December 2024, a month after the video surfaced, and had already been barred by UEFA from officiating in European competitions until June 2026 following a separate incident. The FA said a probe into unrelated gambling allegations against the 42-year-old found no case to answer. In written reasons published Tuesday, the disciplinary panel noted Coote’s expression of “deep remorse” and acknowledgement that his comments were “crass and inappropriate”. The former referee, who has since spoken publicly about personal struggles that he says influenced his behaviour, is banned from all football-related activity in England until early October.