Coote, 42, said the pressure of his work contributed to the behaviour that led to his sacking by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in December.

Speaking to the Sun in an interview published on Monday night he said: “I’m gay and I have struggled with feeling proud of being ‘me’ over a long period of time.

“I have received deeply unpleasant abuse during my career as a ref and to add my sexuality to that would have been really difficult.”

Coote, who officiated more than 100 top-flight games, gave his first interview to the Sun, the newspaper which led the reporting of his misconduct.

In a separate statement issued late on Monday, he apologised for the behaviour that led to his sacking, saying: “This has been one of the most difficult periods of my life. I take full responsibility for my actions, which fell way below what was expected of me.

“I am truly sorry for any offence caused by my actions and for the negative spotlight it put on the game that I love. I hope people will understand that they were private moments taken during very low times in my life. They do not reflect who I am today or what I think.”

Speaking about his sexuality to the Sun, Coote said he felt a “deep sense of shame” during his teenage years and told his parents when he was 21 and his friends when he was 25.

“My sexuality isn’t the only reason that led me to be in that position,” he said. “But I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay, and that I’ve had real struggles dealing with hiding that.

“I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well – a good quality as a referee but a terrible quality as a human being,” he said. “And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviours.”

He has spoken as police investigate “threats and abuse” directed at referee Michael Oliver following Arsenal’s game against Wolves on Saturday.

Coote revealed that he received death threats during his career, with some also made towards his late mother.

He also said he needed to have an accelerated response tag fitted at his home address so he could speak to police in an emergency.

‘I don’t recognise myself in video’

Coote was initially suspended by the PGMOL on 11 November after a video emerged on social media of him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and the club’s former manager Jurgen Klopp.

He now says he apologises “to anybody who I’ve offended by my actions” and that he “was not sober” at the time the video was recorded.

On 13 November, the Sun published photos it says were taken during last year’s European Championship, alleging that they appeared to show Coote sniffing a white powder through a rolled up US bank note.

His conduct is under investigation by the Football Association and European football’s governing body Uefa.

Coote told the Sun he has been in an “incredibly dark place” since the photographs of him at the Euros were published and he was “not sure I’d here today” without the support of family and colleagues.

On 27 November, the FA opened a new investigation following an allegation that Coote had discussed giving a yellow card before a Championship match between Leeds and West Brom in 2019. He has always denied these allegations.

Discussing the events that led up to his sacking, he says his mum died suddenly in 2023 and at the same time his uncle was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

In the 2023-24 season, he says he officiated more than 90 games around the world, followed by the European Championship and then the Olympics, and struggled with the pressure and stress of his work, adding: “The physical and psychological demands on match officials is really significant.

“I don’t recognise myself in the cocaine video. I can’t resonate with how I felt then, but that was me. I was struggling with the schedule and there was no opportunity to stop. And so I found myself in that position – escaping.”

Coote told the Sun he is over his drug habit after having therapy and felt “a huge sense of shame” for what happened.

“I’m guilty of doing what I did, but I’m trying to be the best person that I can be now. I’ve taken steps to try and be the best I can be both from a physical and a mental wellbeing [perspective],” he added.

“To other people who are in my situation, I’d say seek help and talk to somebody because if you bottle it up like I have done, it has to come out in some way.”

BBC Sport has contacted the PGMOL for comment.

Referee Rosario Guadalupe Cardenas had been appointed to serve as the fourth official in a match between Monterrey and Tigres in the Apertura Tournament on October 19.

Mexico’s refereeing commission announced on the day of the match that Cardenas had been replaced due to a ‘medical reason’.

Cardenas was replaced in the role by Ismael Lopez, with Ximena Marquez Ruíz installed as the VAR official.

The organisation launched an internal investigation two days later, stating it would ‘clarify all the details related to this incident’.

Former Mexican referee Francisco Chacon later stated that Cardenas, 27, had failed to attend the match due to injuries sustained after being attacked by a sex worker he had hired.

‘It turns out that Mr. Rosario Cardenas decided to hire a companion one day before the game,’ said Chacon, who officiated international matches between 2009 and 2017.

‘He took her to his hotel where he was staying, and there he was drugged and assaulted, which is why he did not make it to his game.

‘That was the “medical reason”‘.

The Mexican refereeing commission confirmed Cardenas’ sacking on December 4 following the internal investigation.

The organisation did not provide further details around the circumstances, but deemed his conduct worthy of dismissal.

‘The Referees Commission reports that it completed a detailed internal investigation, which began on October 21, in order to clarify the details related to the incident in which referee Rosario Guadalupe Cárdenas was involved, on October 19, prior to the day 12 of the 2024 Apertura Tournament,’ a statement read.

‘In order to guarantee transparency and compliance with the corresponding protocols, this Commission informs that as a conclusion to the investigation it has decided to terminate the contract of the cited arbitrator for non-compliance with the Arbitration Rules.’

Mexican newspaper Record reported the official had been found to have violated the ‘ethical and professional values’ of Mexican Football Federation, with a source stating an investigation remains ongoing into the reports Cardenas had been assaulted by a sex worker.

‘We were informed that this matter went through the FMF’s legal department, which violated the internal regulations and the ethical and professional values ​​of the FMF,’ a source told the newspaper.

‘I know that there is a legal issue going on, which is being processed, to determine whether or not that was the case with the referee.

‘But beyond that, Rosario was informed internally that for the organisation and the FMF itself the referee did not fulfill his responsibility due to indiscipline and that determined that they thank him.’

Cardenas had been yet to officiate in the Mexican top flight, but the official had worked his way through the refereeing ranks in recent years.

He had officiated at Under-20 and Under-23 level before refereeing matches in the second tier of Mexican football.

The board – which reviews the big refereeing decisions in the Premier League each week – agreed the midfielder should have been dismissed.

Rice, who was already on a booking, nudged the ball away from Joel Veltman as he prepared to take a free-kick in the 49th minute of Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton last weekend.

It was the first red card of the England star’s career, with the panel agreeing his actions were “clear, deliberate and impactful” and a second yellow card was correct.

The panel, which unanimously backed the decision, wrote: “Rice knows what he’s doing – it’s a gentle touch, but once the referee sees it he has no choice.”

Arsenal were 1-0 up at the time after Kai Havertz’s goal, but Joao Pedro’s leveller earned Brighton a point at the Emirates.

The KMI panel is independent and made up of three former players or coaches, one Premier League representative and one from the Professional Game Match Officials Board, the referees’ body.

It also ruled the video assistant referee (VAR) was right to intervene in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s goal in Liverpool’s 3-0 win at Manchester United.

The goal was initially given but was then ruled out, with Mo Salah deemed to have been offside in the build-up.

It was the only on-pitch decision ruled to have been incorrect out of the 23 looked into for match week three.

The panel was unanimous in its support of every on-field call, except the decision not to give Crystal Palace’s Will Hughes a second yellow card in their 1-1 draw at Chelsea.

The midfielder, already on a booking, avoided a caution from referee Jarred Gillett despite pulling back Cole Palmer outside the box just after half-time.

The first caution was unanimously supported as correct, with the majority (3-2) supporting Gillett’s decision not to issue a second yellow.

However, two of the panellists argued: “Palmer is the wrong side of Hughes and has options left and right, therefore it is stopping a promising attack.”

Jarred Gillett will use a head-mounted device called a ‘RefCam’, although the footage will not be broadcast live.

The video will be used in a one-off programme providing insight into officiating in the Premier League.

In February, Bundesliga referee Daniel Schlager wore a camera and microphone during a 2-2 draw between Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolfsburg.

That footage was also used for a programme called ‘Referees Mic’d up – Bundesliga’.

Last year, Premier League referee Rob Jones wore a camera for a 2023 Summer Series match between Chelsea and Brighton in Philadelphia.

The use of bodycams was also trialled by the Football Association in adult grassroots football last year in an effort to reduce the amount of abuse officials at that level suffered.

It comes after Nottingham Forest issued an angry post on social media criticising officials following their 2-0 defeat at Everton on Sunday.

Forest said they were “considering their options” over “extremely poor” refereeing decisions.

“They do their job as best as possible,” Guardiola said.

“When they do the job, they want to do it well. The game is so difficult. It is fast and quick. Decisions have to be made in one instant. It’s not easy.”

Forest were furious after three penalty appeals were rejected at Goodison Park, with defeat leaving the club just one point above Luton, who sit in the relegation zone.

Shortly after the game, Forest said they had “warned” refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL) that “the VAR is a Luton fan but they didn’t change him”.

On Monday, the club called for the audio between video assistant referee Stuart Attwell and on-field official Anthony Taylor to be released publicly.

It later emerged that Forest will be offered the chance to hear VAR audio from the three penalty claims in private.

Speaking in a news conference on Wednesday, Guardiola said of referees: “They feel the pressure, we put pressure on them for the passion of the game, for the moment.

“When I sit here and reflect they try to do their best and are under scrutiny with the cameras there.”

City head to Brighton in the Premier League on Thursday before travelling to face Forest on Sunday.

Koca was arrested after he ran on to the pitch and struck Meler following a draw with Caykur Rizespor in the Turkish top-flight.

Ankaragucu have also been fined two million lira (£54,000) and ordered to play five home games without any fans.

All Turkish league football was suspended after Monday’s incident.

The TFF has since decided that games will resume on Tuesday, 19 December after a one-week suspension.

Meler received several blows from others as he lay on the turf and suffered injuries including a minor fracture.

The 37-year-old is one of Turkey’s top referees and officiates international games for Fifa. He is also on Uefa’s elite referee list.

He was taken to hospital for treatment for his injuries before being released on Wednesday.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said Koca and two others were formally arrested for “injuring a public official”.

Koca later issued a statement via Ankaragucu saying he had resigned as club president and apologising for his actions.

“No matter how great an injustice or how wrong [the officiating] was, nothing can legitimise or explain the violence that I perpetrated,” he said.

“I apologise to the Turkish refereeing community, the sports public and our nation.”

He added he felt “great embarrassment” for the “grave incident that I caused” but hoped it could help Turkish football address its “culture of violence”.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said the incident was “totally unacceptable” and violence had “no place in our sport or society”.

The court has adjourned the case to Monday, June 26, 2023.

This was Napari’s first appearance before the Presiding Judge, Justice Issifu Sulemana.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault.

The assault took place during a football match in Tamale, where Coach Napari attacked the female referee, Abdul Rahman Sakina Nasara.

Following the incident, both the Ghana Football Association and the Northern Regional Football Association issued a wanted notice for Napari.

However, he surrendered himself to the Northern Regional Police Headquarters on June 19, 2023, after being on the run.

The incident occurred during a Women’s Division 1B League match between Tiyumbu Ladies FC and Soccer Missionaries Ladies at Game Centre 3 on Saturday, June 17, 2023.

In response to the incident, Mr. Napari, also known as Kubli, was relieved of his positions as Assistant Treasurer in the Executive Committee of the Northern Regional Women’s Football Clubs Association and as Chairperson of the Women’s Football Committee in the Sagnarigu Municipal Football Association.

Tension boiled following a missed penalty call during the match between DC Motema Pembe and TP Mazembe.

The case of these female footballers was the fact that the referee failed to award them a penalty which could have given them the opportunity to get a consolation goal in a match they were already losing 5-1.

Sensing danger from the irate players, the referee attempted to run for cover, but before he could, they caught up with him

They chased the referee across the pitch before having a hold of him at the touchline where he was subjected to punches and kicks.

One man could also be seen joining in on the savage attack.

Stadium staff attempted to help the referee, who eventually managed to slip down the tunnel but he was pursued by Motema Pembe players again.

The TP Mazembe players could only watch on as the incident unfolded.

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Referee Philip Atta Forson and Isaac Osei have both been charged after being found by the GFA integrity Officer to have placed bets on sports betting platforms on various football matches.

Charge sheets have been sent to the two referees and they are to send their written responses on or before 5:00 pm on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.

After receiving their responses, the GFA Disciplinary Committee will form a panel to adjudicate their respective cases.

The category one official follows footballers Josh Cavallo and Jake Daniels in coming out.

Napier said he was inspired by the players’ decision and believes it is time “to see the climate change” within the sport.

“It’s something that I never thought I’d be sitting here doing,” Napier told the Scottish FA.

“It’s something I’ve obviously lived with for a long time. It’s been a difficult journey to get to this point. It’s really important that people like me are willing to sit here and do this.

“I don’t think this needs to be a news story but I think at the moment, it really does because we need to see the climate change so that people do feel that they can be their true self and live happily and comfortable in their own skin. And then that needs to transcend into football.”

When not refereeing, Napier, who took charge of 32 SPFL and domestic cup fixtures during the 2021-22 season, works for the NHS and revealed he had “never had a bad experience when I’ve had these conversations”.

“I’ve always felt so much lighter after speaking about it,” he explained.

“This isn’t a conversation about me, this is a conversation about trying to change the culture in Scottish football.

“There is something about football, there’s still that barrier. Hopefully here in Scotland I can play a small part in hoping that it can inspire whoever is out there to be more comfortable in who they are and have the conversations with their family, their friends, their team-mates and come out publicly if they feel able to.

“There are no footballers on the pitch who are [openly gay], but they are there. And until we have these conversations and these role models on the pitch, there will be that stigma and that fear.”

Cavallo, who plays for Australian club Adelaide United, came out last October, making him the only currently openly gay top-flight male professional footballer in the world.

Daniels, a forward with English second-tier club Blackpool, announced in May that he is gay. He was the first professional in the UK men’s game for more than 30 years to come out while still playing.

Trouble started when some irate fans of Kabawa United pounced on the referee accusing him of bad officiating.

Kogi United Feeders were leading their opponent 2:0 in the first 25 minutes of the first half all thanks to a costly mistake from the goalkeeper of Kabawa United.

The visitors could not match the strength of Kogi United Feeders as it was extended to 3:0.

Not satisfied with the latest result of the match in the 40th minutes, the fans angrily stormed the field to chase the referee and other officiating team members.

Despite the presence of fully armed police officers, men of the vigilante, and other sister security agencies, they could not stop the fans from perpetuating the grievous act.

Other officials escaped the mob attack, but the referee could not as he was beaten to coma before he was rushed to the hospital in Lokoja, where he’s recuperating.

James Adcock is a familiar figure in the English game, having refereed more than 500 matches in a career that has taken him from amateur level all the way to the Premier League.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC’s LGBT Sport Podcast to coincide with National Coming Out Day, Adcock has been reflecting on his time in the game – and explaining why now is the right time to open up about his sexuality.

‘Referees aren’t robots, we’re not the bad guys of football’

With a childhood love of football and a father who officiated in the Football League, perhaps it was inevitable Adcock would find his way into refereeing.

“When I started to get into it, it was like: ‘Woah, this is the journey I’m going to take,’” he tells BBC Sport.

“My whole life has revolved around sport and fitness. So to get into refereeing was following in my father’s footsteps.”

Adcock, 37, initially combined officiating with his job as a PE teacher.

Then, in 2016, he was appointed to the EFL’s Select Group 2 – making him a full-time referee who took charge of matches in the Championship, as well as acting as a fourth official in the Premier League.

In many ways, it was his dream assignment.

“Referees aren’t robots. We’re not the bad guys of football,” Adcock says.

“We take in the passion, we take in the drama, we take in all the feelings that a football fan would.

“The best moments are walking out to the crowds on an opening day, at Christmas, for the last game of the season when it means something to a certain club.

“This is the best sport in the world, and we enjoy that just as much as anyone else.”

‘People know I’m gay and just accept it – I’m fortunate for that’

As a child of the ’80s and ’90s, Adcock was used to hearing the same tired stereotypes – that people who loved sport couldn’t be gay as well.

Adcock didn’t come out until he was 27 – but his experiences within the game have been nothing but positive.

“As I was going from part-time to full-time in football, some knew and some didn’t,” he says.

“Now all my colleagues know, and it’s just the norm. And, to be honest, there’s been interest from colleagues saying, ‘I’m proud of you James, that you’re able to be openly gay in sport,’ because they know the barriers that are still in place.

“They’re fully supportive and don’t change the way they are around me or the way they speak to me because they thought I was a heterosexual guy, and now they find out I’m a gay guy.

“I don’t need to wear a T-shirt saying: ‘I’m James Adcock and I’m a gay guy.’ People know and just accept it.

“I’ve not had any homophobic abuse thrown at me, and I can’t tell you a story where I’ve had to combat or overcome that.”

‘From the top level down, there’s not an issue’

Adcock is the highest-level male official to speak publicly about his sexuality in English football, following Ryan Atkin, who came out in 2017.

Now he is looking to support others who might find themselves in a similar situation.

“A lot of referees will think they can’t come out because it’s going to affect their progression within the sport,” he says.

“But you are not judged by your sexuality – and if you are confident enough in yourself, you’re going to have every support from every colleague, and it’s not going to affect you.

“To come out as gay or not come out as gay, you have to choose that as a person and not as a ref. But from the top level down, there’s not an issue.”

‘My family, friends and football colleagues have been so supportive’

After some injury problems, Adcock has returned to refereeing in the Football League on a part-time basis, and used lockdown to start an online health and fitness consultancy.

“For me to feel confident, I like to feel good and be the best that I can be,” he says.

“I wanted to put that back into the community, and I’m enjoying helping other people do what has made me successful. If I can look after my body and myself, I want to help others to that as well.”

And he hopes speaking publicly about his sexuality won’t change the way he is viewed when he next takes charge of a Football League game.

“Just treat me the way you’d treat anyone else,” he says. “You’re there as a supporter, a player or a manager – and you judge me on my performances.

“That’s what I’m judged on. I’m not refereeing because I’m gay, I’m refereeing because I’m refereeing a game of football – so just treat me as a normal human being.

“That’s where my family, my friends, and my football colleagues have been so supportive – because it doesn’t matter that I am gay and involved in sport, and refereeing in the Football League.

According to the retired FIFA referee, he was appointed by CAF to officiate an Afcon qualifier between Sierra Leone and Congo.

He revealed that a night before the game, he and his assistants were approached by some men who offered to give them $50,000 to officiate in favour of the host team.

Mr Yamoah said he refused to accept the offer.

“The amount was so huge in those days but we told them that Ghanaian referees don’t take a bribe,” he told Asempa FM in an exclusive interview.

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“The Sierra Leoneans were so focused on winning through any means possible,” he added.

Mr Yamoah said sometimes he regrets not accepting the bribery offers that came his way as a referee because he would have been a better person financially since refereeing during their era was not lucrative.

He said he would have ended his career immediately if he had taken that amount and start a new life outside football but he was passionate about the game and much concerned with his name that will appear in the newspapers than money, the reason he couldn’t make money from his refereeing career.

Meanwhile, he said he feels proud for being so strict and sticking to his principles which are giving him a livelihood in his old age.

The game is scheduled for the Cape Coast stadium on Thursday, November 12, 2020.

The 33-year-old will be assisted by compatriots El Hadji Malick Samba (Assistant 1), Serigne Cheikh Toure (Assistant II) and Dauda Gueye (fourth official).

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Sanusi Mohammed from Nigeria will be the Match Commissioner.

The Black Stars will be looking to continue their bright start to the qualifying process when they host Sudan at the Cape Coast stadium in the first of a double header tie.

The game will kick off at 4PM GMT.

Joe Debrah, the Assistant Chairman of the Association, told Joy News the provisional list of referees perceived to be corrupt in the Number 12 expose has been circulated to all the relevant stakeholders.

“They are to step aside akin to being on interdiction in the public sector but we call that provisionally suspended.

“We are going to investigate to establish whether they are really culpable or not pending the final determination of their case by the Disciplinary Committee of RAG,” he said.

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The documentary, officially titled, ‘When Greed and Corruption Become the Norm’ is popularly as ‘Number 12’ takes a sweeping look at cases of match-fixing and its effects on honest and hardworking footballers, compromised match officials.

The investigative piece which shook the nation revealed how some officials in at the GFA allegedly took bribes to influence matches.

Following the expose, the FA Chairman, Kwesi Nyantakyi who was seen in the documentary resigned and is currently under investigation.

This was after a charge of defrauding by false pretence was levelled against him.

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A breakdown of the category of referees suspended includes; 6 FIFA referees, 7 assistant FIFA referees, 21 premier referees, 21 premier assistant referees, 4 division one referees, 6 division one assistant referees, 4 in the women league and 5 retired referees.

Below are the names of those listed by RAG

FIFA REFEREES
1. Prosper Adii
2. Issaka Afful
3. Reginald Lathbridge
4. Nathan Anafo
5. Cecil Amatey Fleischer
6. Adaari Latif

ASSISTANT FIFA REFEREES
7. Dawood Ouedraogo
8. Ibrahim Adam Badiu
9. Eric Nantiere
10. A. S. Malik
11. David Adjin
12. David Laryea
13. Theresa Akogyam

The draw was held at M-Plaza hotel in Accra on Wednesday May 3rd.

Struggling Asante Kotoko will face division one side Proud United whiles their bitter rivals Hearts of Oak will play against Kotoku Royals.

Medeama SC have been handed a tough draw after they were paired with former Ghana Premier League campaigners New Edubiase United.

In other matches, Liberty Professionals will welcome Uncle T Stars to the Carl Reindorff Park in Dansoman whiles WA All Stars take on Bolga All Stars at the Malik Jabir Park.

However, George has urged the referees to be fair in officiating to make the competition attractive which will help get a fair champion of the competition.

“Often time what we hear is that the MTN FA Cup officiating is spot on and the reason is that there is no relegation in this competition.” He told Asempa FM.

“That is not to say that we welcome any bad officiating in our football because it is not acceptable. We edge referees to continue to live up to expectation and continue to receive the accurate that comes from the sporting fans.

“We edge them to continue on that part so that we will have a noble winner of this year’s competition.” He added.

The round of 32 matches has been scheduled to take place between 18th to 22nd May.