It’s for a reason that football is the most passionately-followed and debated sport in the world. The (media) trials and tribulations of English referee David Coote prove that good sense and empathy are often in short supply when club allegiances take over.
Coote was filmed hurling expletives at Liverpool and its former manager Jurgen Klopp during a drinking binge with friends. Subsequently, footage emerged of him snorting a suspicious-looking white powder during this summer’s European Championships in Germany, where he was on the officials’ roster. Then came revelations of attempts to organise a drug party just after a high-profile Carabao Cup match which he was refereeing late last month.
There’s a saying that when it rains, it pours. And it’s pouring misfortune on Coote, much of it of his own making. As expected, he was swiftly suspended by the various concerned governing bodies and associations, and an inquiry opened on whether he breached regulations with his conduct.
But the saga also shows a glimpse into the often adversarial football environment involving clubs, managers, officials and fans. Liverpool supporters have been quick to dig up footage of their matches Coote officiated in where some decisions didn’t go their way, attributing them to bias and prejudice.
Refereeing decisions are often subjective, and two officials may often make different calls over the same incident. But passion sees things in black and white. Coote’s decisions may be his own objective interpretation of a situation, but balance and nuance become casualties when emotions take over.
However, the words that Coote used for Klopp have no justification. The two did have a few altercations during matches but the epithet the referee used – referring to the German’s nationality – may get him into more trouble. At a time when football claims to be trying to curb racism and xenophobia, a referee indulging in such behaviour sends out an undesirable image of the sport. As a referee, Coote is expected to act against such conduct on the pitch and in the stands, not indulge in it himself.
Tough job
But in the present cut-throat football environment, referees are in an unenviable position. They need to get decisions right in a fast-paced sport, have the athletic ability almost at par with the footballers themselves, have the eyesight of hawks, act as peacemakers when tempers get the better of others, and not react when players, managers, fans and spectators have a go at them. The advent of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was supposed to make the lives of on-field officials a bit easier, but in most instances it has had the opposite effect. Social media, and the anonymity it provides, makes it easier to get away after abusing someone, even though the law and technology have started catching up with them. The sort of behaviour one often sees at a football game can’t be imagined at a normal workplace and is likely to prompt a strong and often physical response on the street. Coote may have had enough, and expressed his inner angst in an inebriated state in (what he thought was) a safe setting.
What he did puts the game and referees in poor light, but come to think of it, complaining about bosses, colleagues, others one comes in contact with, and the work environment in general, isn’t the prerogative of football referees alone. A lot of people in various walks of life would have done something similar after alcohol had loosened their tongues. In some ways, Coote’s conduct may be understandable and could prompt sympathy, if not justification.
Abuse directed at referees is not just a feature of top-flight football, but also at age-group level as well. Parents are often the worst culprits, to such an extent that it’s a miracle that anyone would want to pursue a career officiating games. There is footage in public domain of Liverpool players confronting Coote during and after matches, but that can’t be evidence of him being anything less than objective and professional in his duties. In a court of law, the fact that two persons don’t get along can’t in itself make one the prime suspect in the other’s murder. Disciplinary action for confronting an umpire, getting in their face, and using harsh words invite strict disciplinary action these days, but habits ingrained over a long period of time can’t be discarded overnight.
Take care of the man
The past few days must have passed Coote by in a blur, but if he sits down to make sense of the events, the one thing he would be bitterly disappointed about would be his choice of ‘friends’. In the footage of the drinking session, they seem to be goading him to shoot himself in the foot, while recording the indiscretions for posterity. With friends like these, who needs enemies!
If they were friends in the real sense, they would have prevented Coote from orchestrating his own downfall and ensured that better sense prevailed. On the contrary, they made a spectacle of him and let it out for the world to see. The release of footage of the referee snorting white powder while on assignment at a marquee international tournament couldn’t have been timed worse. Maybe, recording drinking sessions and while getting high on narcotics is a new fad.
In all this melee, one may forget that Coote is more than a football referee. He is a human being first. His career as a match official (especially at the top level) may have been destroyed beyond repair, subject to the findings of the inquiries. But the damage to his reputation may not be undone.
But as the English match officials’ association has stressed, one needs to be careful about Coote’s well-being. His world would seem to have crumbled around him in a matter of days. If he has a drinking issue or an addiction of any other kind, he needs professional help and a sympathetic hand around his shoulders.
“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death… It is much, much more important than that,” the legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly is supposed to have said. While die-hard club followers and fans may go by that motto and haul Coote over the coals, in such circumstances one needs to think about the man in the middle wearing the black jersey. A little empathy can go a long way.