• RA chair insists sacked Coote ‘has so much to offer’
• Former referee remains highly regarded in Europe

David Coote “deserves” to have a continued role in English football, the chair of the Referees’ Association has said.

Coote’s contract as an elite ­referee with Professional Game Match ­Officials Limited (PGMOL) was ­terminated last month after a video emerged showing him ­making ­derogatory comments about ­Liverpool and their former manager Jürgen Klopp. A separate video also showed Coote taking cocaine.