Keith Cooper has laughed off reports of his demise after he was mistakenly confused with another referee of the same name who had sadly died
Ex-Premier League referee Keith Cooper has spoken out for the first after being wrongly declared dead.
Last week, the Football Association of Wales and others mistakenly declared he had passed away aged 78. That was news to him – and he’s had to convince people that rumours of his death are greatly exaggerated.
He told Wales Online: “I walked into the sports centre yesterday to have my jab and the fellow went, ‘You were dead!’ Well, I’m not dead, I’m here and I’m OK!”
In reality, it was a different referee sharing the same name, from Wiltshire, who had tragically died.
Cooper officiated in the Premier League from 1993 until hanging up his whistle in 1996, with a career highlight being his appointment to oversee the 1994 League Cup final between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Wembley.
His refereeing journey came after a failed bid to establish himself in the sport as a player. As a youngster, he signed for Cardiff City but never quite broke through to the senior squad. Cooper supports Cardiff City but his football loyalties tend to track the career of his son, Steve.
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“I supported Cardiff because I played for them, but didn’t make the first team,” he clarifies. “But I supported Swansea because my son was the manager there. And I supported Nottingham Forest because my son was the manager there, he took them up.”
It’s hardly surprising Cooper is tremendously proud of his son, whose managerial path has seen him progress from international glory with England’s youth sides to achieving promotion with Nottingham Forest, a period at Swansea City and a stint in Denmark with Brondby.
“He’s done exceptionally well. I’m really proud of him,” Keith states. But sporting success is just one chapter in the Cooper family tale.
“I’m so proud of my other boy as well, Neil. He’s in charge of the cancer hospital in Swansea, so that’s a biggie. I’ll tell you a funny one. Neil says to his brother, ‘You play with your balls, I’ll just save lives, all right?’ They’re very, very close. It’s nice.”
After hanging up his whistle, Cooper stayed connected to football through radio punditry, while also supporting children with special educational needs He also had a stint working on matchdays at Cardiff City.
And so, following a week where his name has been splashed across headlines for all the wrong reasons, Cooper is pleased to set the record straight. At 78, he’s alive and kicking, in fine fettle and still finding plenty to chuckle about.