David Coote was childish, immature and unprofessional, but I'm not sure he should be sacked, says Simon Jordan.
Referee David Coote is now the talk of the Premier League, and former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has had his say.
Coote made headlines around the world when a video appeared online that appeared to show him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and former manager Jurgen Klopp.
The referee who presided over the Reds' 2-0 victory Villa Aston Last time, he called the manager a “German imbecile” and Liverpool an “imbecile.”
Coote has since been suspended from office while arbitration The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has launched an investigation.
Much of the talk revolves around whether Coote can referee Liverpool games again, or even operate in the Premier League, with the former Anfield great. Danny Murphy saying believes the 42-year-old is “finished” in the top flight.
Expressing his opinion on the matter, talkSPORT presenter Jordan said: “This is what he himself has invited. So he has to reap the particular whirlwind that started spinning because he was the one who opened his mouth and made a terrible decision.
“This is not an accusation. We have seen the video. Unless there is AI involved, this is coming out of his mouth and this is what he said.
“Now it will be interesting to see how he can overcome this because the inherent responsibility will have to fall on him.
“Howard Webb (PGMOL director) did not invite this. Howard Webb doesn't want this. He wants a refereeing fraternity that is beyond reproach. So you want them to be in a situation where the noise is reduced and you're trying to establish that. And out of nowhere comes one of their elite referees making childish, immature and unprofessional observations.
“Can he redeem himself? Can he find his way back? Should I leave him in the EFL? And people say, well, if you get punished in the Premier League, are you less valuable in the EFL? Did you get the Premier League castles? I don't know. But should a man lose his career over some stupid remarks? “I am reluctant to suggest that should be the case.”
Liverpool as a club have yet to respond to the video, and Jordan believes it would be best to stay put given what happened.
Asked how he would have responded as Palace chairman, he said: “My reaction now would be to believe that I would be objective and let PGMOL deal with the matter. That's their job, that's their problem, they created this situation, keep doing your job. I have a football club to manage.
“But I also know how tribal you are when you are indexed and inside the bubble, so you can't help but feel that the evidence that you have heard and seen about the decisions that you were a part of as an owner of the football club and you looked at it and thought , well, that's a little strong, that's not right.
“You'll get sucked into that narrative and ultimately feel a certain way about it. Look, I'd like to think I'd be objective and let the course of action develop around this rather dumb guy's observations.”
PGMOL boss Webb now finds himself in a difficult position as he has taken a very public approach to his work as head of refereeing.
The former official hosts a program with michael owen where he talks about refereeing incidents, while he is also known for traveling to clubs and publicly apologizing for failed decisions.
When asked if he would call Webb to discuss the story, Jordan responded: “I don't think I would, I don't know what I would achieve by doing it.
“If I'm going to play in the gallery, if I'm going to do an interview with the local press in Liverpool, telling them how offended I am by them.
“Or I look at it and say: you're a damn fool, you said stupid things and you're going to get caught up in the storm.
“Without a doubt people are not going to stop until they force you to leave refereeing and your vocation and disappear in a third world country and referee there maybe, because people might forgive you there.
“But the point is, I look at it and say, what's the point of discussing it? Besides, what am I going to do with it?
“Am I going to pick up the phone with Howard and say, 'I think that's unacceptable?' “Howard doesn’t need to be told that what comes out of that guy’s mouth is unacceptable.”