David Coote has been dropped from Premier League duty this weekend.
The referee was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons last weekend as he was the official who admitted to making a mistake during Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge.
A huge three points for Frank Lampard’s side was somewhat overshadowed by the one major incident in the second half when Spurs’ Giovani Lo Celso appeared to stamp on Blues captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
However, following a lengthy VAR review, Coote – who was in position at Stockley Park – decided against overruling Michael Oliver’s original decision and play continued as usual with Lo Celso even managing to escape a booking.
The PGMOL initially clarified the reason why Coote had opted not to send the Argentine off.
“Not a clear and obvious error and there was nowhere else for Lo Celso to put his foot,” they said in a statement.
However, just minutes later, BT Sport revealed that they had been told by the PGMOL that a human error had been made and that Lo Celso should have been handed his marching orders.
To make matters worse, Coote was on double duty on Saturday and he made another mistake during Manchester City’s win over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
He did not give a penalty for handball against Kevin De Bruyne when he blocked James Maddison’s free-kick.
This prompted Jamie Redknapp to blast the decision not to stand Coote down from VAR duty after making an incorrect call just a matter of hours earlier.
“He (David Coote) had a nightmare earlier (in Chelsea v Spurs). He is not doing much better here. He needed a little rest this evening,’ Redknapp said on Sky Sports. “And he can’t see it was a red card earlier. That is a handball. He is putting his hands up to protect the moneymaker.
“Look at his hands, he is bringing his hands up to the moneymaker. You duck. He is the best player in the league but he does not want to get that ball in his face. It is as simple as that.”
It would appear that Coote has now been punished by the PGMOL.
The match officials for Matchweek 28 in the Premier League has been revealed and Coote is not down for a game, not as a referee, nor as an assistant referee and certainly not for VAR duty.
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