Chelsea: Enzo Maresca confident in Premier League referees after David Coote scandal

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca insists he has absolute confidence in Premier League referees, despite the David Coote scandal that has dominated the international break.

The Blues travel to Maresca’s former club Leicester on Saturday lunchtime in what will be the first Premier League game since video emerged of Coote’s alleged foul-mouthed attack on Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.

The clip, leaked on social media last week but thought to have been filmed some years earlier, appears to show the referee calling former Reds boss Klopp a “German c***”.

A second video was later published by The Sun newspaper, allegedly showing Coote sniffing a white powder at a Uefa-appointed hotel during Euro 2024.

Coote has been suspended by refereeing chiefs PGMOL, as well as by Uefa, while both bodies conduct investigations.

“I have seen it,” Maresca said of the first video, which refers to Liverpool and Klopp. “The reaction is not the best one because there are things that are not correct to say.

“It doesn’t matter that he is a referee. If I as a manager say the same it is wrong. If you as a journalist say the same it is something wrong.

“So, no matter that he is a referee. Any human being that says these kind of things it is not good.”

There is concern that the video will now ramp up scrutiny on Coote’s refereeing colleagues as the Premier League season resumes, leaving them open to accusations of bias.

However, when asked whether he had confidence in Premier League officials, Maresca insisted: “Absolutely”.