Former Premier League referee David Coote has pleaded not guilty to making an indecent image of a child.
The 43-year-old appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he was charged over a video recovered by police in February. He confirmed his name, date of birth, and plea during the 18-minute hearing.
The charge relates to activities such as downloading, sharing, or saving abuse material.
District Judge Gillian Young granted Coote conditional bail, ordering him to appear before Nottingham Crown Court on October 9.
Coote was dismissed from his officiating role in December after a video surfaced of him making derogatory remarks about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. He was also banned by UEFA until June 2026 following the release of another video showing him snorting a white powder in Germany during Euro 2024.
In January, Coote publicly came out as gay, saying his struggle to conceal his sexuality contributed to poor decisions in the past.
