What groups do David Coote and the 27 Premier League referees assist – discover out in our quiz

Before the storm that broke with Premier League referee David Coote‘s suspension following his expletive-laden viral rant, top-flight officials were already under the microscope.

In a leaked clip that has sent shockwaves through the football community, Coote didn’t mince words, labelling former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp a “German c***” and disparagingly referred to the Liverpool team as “sh*t”; actions that swiftly prompted a PGMOL investigation and ignited further discussions about potential referee impartiality.

This season has seen 22 referees at the helm across Premier League matches. Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver have led the pack, each taking point at 10 out of the 11 gameweeks – three more occasions than any other ref. Coote has held the whistle for six Premier League games including West Ham’s controversial win over Manchester United, with the Hammers boosted by a late penalty decision following an extensive VAR review.

That result played its part in United’s eventual sacking of Erik ten Hag, and PGMOL chief Howard Webb hinted afterwards that the under fire referee might have bungled the decision by changing his initial on-field verdict of no penalty.

With referees under pressure this season, are you clued up on who Premier League officials actually support? Why not take our quiz to suss out which refs root for which clubs, and which teams they’re barred from officiating? Some of the answers may surprise you…

Since the initial leaked video of Coote, which led to his suspension by PGMOL, a further video has emerged appearing to show the official snorting white powder.

The footage, published by The Sun and seen by the Daily Star, appears to show the VAR operator using a US bank note to sniff a line of what appears to be a white substance.

The publication reports that the eight-second WhatsApp video was filmed while he was officiating at this summer’s Euros.