UEFA launched a new investigation into English match official David Coote on Thursday after a video allegedly showed him using cocaine during the European Championship.
“UEFA has appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to assess a potential violation of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations by referee Mr. David Coote,” the organization said in a statement.
Coote served as a video review specialist at Euro 2024, where match officials stayed at a hotel near Frankfurt. He assisted the lead VAR official in eight games.
British daily The Sun published a video late Wednesday that appeared to show Coote snorting the drug using an American banknote.
The report said the incident was filmed one day after Coote’s last match, the quarterfinal between France and Portugal, which France won in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.
Coote was suspended on Monday by the English match referees’ body after a separate cellphone video circulated, showing him making offensive comments about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
That body, along with the English FA, launched investigations.
UEFA had already withdrawn Coote from match duty for national team games this week after the first video was published.
The games Coote worked at Euro 2024 included host Germany’s 2-0 win over Denmark in the round of 16, which featured a controversial penalty award for handball.
The lead VAR official at that game, Stuart Attwell, was involved in some of the tournament’s most debated decisions.
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