5 Premier League referees are already barred from Liverpool games amid David Coote controversy

The controversy surrounding the leaked David Coote video has opened up the conversation around referees’ allegiances for a lot of football fans.

Coote finds himself suspended pending an investigation by the PGMOL after a video appeared online allegedly showing him making foul-mouthed remarks about Liverpool and former manager Jurgen Klopp. Not only that, but he could face a charge from the FA after the governing body opened up its own investigation.

It doesn’t come at a great time for PGMOL chief Howard Webb, who has come under a lot of scrutiny since taking on the role. He kept things under wraps as he broke his silence on the matter on Tuesday, and it’s unlikely we will hear of a definitive outcome in the matter for some time.

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Inevitably, it has opened up a can of worms on social media. Football fans everywhere have long espoused conspiracies of bias from certain referees toward their teams, with many taking this latest incident as a basis to back up those unfounded claims.

The truth is, there is no bias from referees – or at least there shouldn’t be – for or against the teams they’re placed in charge of, with officials required to disclose who they support when they take up the job.

Earlier this year, The Telegraph (via This Is Anfield) published a list of the 20 main Premier League referees and where they originally come from. That process has led to five referees being unable to officiate in Liverpool games – Darren Bond, Jarred Gillett, Peter Bankes, Rob Jones and Michael Salisbury.

Bankes and Jones are both from Merseyside, hailing from Liverpool and the Wirral respectively, while Bond is from Wigan, Saliabury from Higher Penwortham in Lancashire, and Gillett is originally from Australia. Indeed, none of those five have ever taken charge of a Liverpool game in the Premier League, although Bond was the referee when the Reds beat Brighton in the Carabao Cup last month.

Coote, meanwhile, hails from Nottingham, and counts himself as a Notts County fan, meaning he can’t be involved in Nottingham Forest games.

Interestingly, where a referee comes from doesn’t necessarily dictate who they can and cannot officiate. For example, Chris Kavanagh and Anthony Taylor are from Ashton-under-Lyne and Wythenshawe, both in the Greater Manchester area, although both are permitted to take charge of Manchester United and Manchester City games – Kavanagh is reportedly a fan of non-league side Droylsden, while Taylor is an Altrincham supporter.

Former referee Mike Dean, who has voiced his support for Coote amid the controversy, was another exception to the rule, having hailed from Merseyside but officiated Liverpool and Everton games due to his allegiance to Tranmere Rovers.

Of the other 12 referees listed, Stuart Atwell is a Luton Town fan, Darren England supports Barnsley, Tony Harrington follows Hartlepool United, Simon Hooper and Graham Scott are both Swindon fans, while Andrew Madley, Michael Oliver and Paul Tierney support Huddersfield Town, Newcastle United and Wigan Athletic respectively.

Thomas Bramall and Craig Pawson both hail from Sheffield, with the latter listed as a Sheffield United fan, while John Brooks is from Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, and has never been involved in a Leicester City game. Tim Robinson is the only other referee listed, although the Middleton-on-Sea native is eligible to officiate every team in the Premier League.