Former Premier League referee David Coote has pleaded guilty at Nottingham Crown Court to making an indecent image of a child. The ex-official appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, October 14, having been charged with one count of making an indecent image of a child.

The sacked referee admitted to making a category A image, the most serious kind, which police recovered in February. The Newark-born man had pleaded not guilty at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on September 11. However, his plea has since changed to a guilty one.

He appeared in court wearing a navy suit and black tie and only spoke to confirm his name and enter his plea to Judge Nirmal Shant KC. Coote was granted conditional bail and told he must appear in court again on December 11.

It was also decided by Judge Shant that a pre-sentence report must be carried out before he is to be sentenced. Informing Coote of this, Judge Shant said: “You have pleaded guilty to a serious matter.

“Whether this means custody or not will be decided when all the information is before the court, which is why I have ordered a pre-sentence report.”

Earlier this year, Coote was arrested in his home before he was charged by Nottinghamshire Police on August 12. At a hearing last month, Ben Payne of the prosecution stated the matter was reported to the police after his mobile phone had been examined by a third party, following the FA’s investigation into Coote.

Last December, Coote was sacked by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) after a video of him making foul-mouthed comments about former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had come to light. He was heard describing Klopp as a “German c***.”

In August, he was suspended for eight weeks by the Football Association for his comments. Coote, 43, said the pressure of his work contributed to the behaviour that led to his sacking from the PGMOL last year.

In June this year, a video of Coote delivering parcels for courier firm Evri was spotted by an individual’s doorbell camera and uploaded to social media. Coote was a top official in the Premier League, taking charge of his first match in April 2018.

He also worked at numerous tournaments, including the 2024 European Championships.