Shameful referee David Coote is probably no longer in England.
Refs boss Howard Webb said that it would be 'very difficult' to see a way back for the 43 -year -old, who was fired last year after rejecting derogatory comments about Liverpool -Baas Jurgen Klopp -and the city -in a leaked video.
In a briefing for the season with reporters, Webb was asked if Coote, which was also banned by UEFA until next summer after another video arose that he sniffed a white powder during the European Championship, could ever make a return to the game.
“I think it would be very difficult for David to come back, I'm afraid to say,” said Webb. 'He is someone we stay in contact with, someone who has long been part of our referee family and has also served the game for a long period and I have known him for many years. So it is sad what happened to David with David, but I would think it would be a challenge for him to come back. '
Coote regretted his actions and spoke to a dark place when the videos were taken. He also said that he had hidden the fact that he was gay during his career for fear of next abuse.
Webb revealed that support had increased for referees in the aftermath of what a sad affair was.
“It became clear that David had made some bad choices of the football field and he was an employee of ours,” he said. 'So that's why we had to take care of him and we had to try to understand why he made some of those choices and where they made contact with the job he had. We spoke with all our officials and said and said, “How do you feel about this?” '
Webb revealed that civil servants hope that the scandal will cause others to express themselves if she needs support. “We have sports psychologists and an element of mental health and welfare support,” he said.
“But there was a recognition that could be strengthened, I think and also be able to be able to pass officers to places outside of our expertise where they could get support. Perhaps there is sometimes a feeling that it is appropriate to speak with people who are not involved in the organization.
'I don't want civil servants afraid that if they step forward and say we can have a chat. That will influence their performance and their agreements. We really wanted to emphasize that that was a sign of strength and not a weakness. '
Webb added that he hoped that PGMOL had learned from the furore. “It has opened our eyes for the need to almost have those conversations at a human level with our officials,” the former referee explained.
'Over the years I mean that I have been there myself – you say that you traditionally always say that I have a show power, I have a resilience of the show. I have to show that not nobody comes to me.
'Of course I have thick skin, you do that. But I think you can weigh a bit over time, I think and then I have that ability to speak and because our only intentions to ensure that the officials go outside in the best state of mind and feel confident. '
He added that the help offered now went beyond the referees.
“There is an unforeseen spoken and it can also be quite unpleasant and not only for the civil servant, but also for the family,” he said. “So we try to make sure that the families also feel supported.”
Coote was also suspended by the FA for eight weeks after his Klopp remarks – but was released from gambling misconduct after claims that he discussed that he had spent a yellow card to a player prior to a game with a friend.