Premier League referee David Coote has been suspended by PGMOL pending a full investigation into his alleged insults about Liverpool and former manager Jurgen Klopp, which have far-reaching implications beyond the shaky mobile phone footage.
The Football Association has also launched its own investigation.
The legitimacy of a controversial decision in football could lead to accusations of conspiracy theorists, who believe that decisions against their team are influenced by personal bias or a grudge.
However, this notion is misguided, as mistakes made by officials and players are due to honest human error, not ill-feeling or bias against a particular manager or club player.
Howard Webb, the head of PGMOL, is concerned that Coote's words could contradict the personal code of every official. Referees in professional football face clashes with teams and individuals, but any lingering antipathy should be put aside when they take change.
The rise in dissent towards officials led to £1m fines and mass confrontations in 2022-23, resulting in a clampdown on player and manager behavior.
By Christmas 2023, bookings for dissent had doubled to 1,813 bookings from 966 the previous season.
The Premier League saw a treble in refereeing from 24 to 80, with referees' chief Webb stating that the "culture change" to reset behaviours towards officials was "early days" but is moving in the right direction.
He emphasizes that referees are human but must be impartial and professional, and must clean the slate of previous confrontations when paths cross.
The principle that no one's mind goes through in the decision-making process is crucial, as officials must be above suspicion.
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