Who is Carabao Cup final referee? David Coote in charge for Man United vs Newcastle at Wembley
Manchester United and Newcastle will be focused on winning the 2022/23 Carabao Cup final this weekend and both groups of players will be familiar with referee David Coote.
The final will end a team’s wait for a trophy and Coote will play a key role at Wembley after the veteran official was chosen by the EFL to take charge.
After a string of VAR issues in the Premier League since early 2023, Coote will be adding extra pressure as PGMOL boss Howard Webb is forced to apologize for mistakes over the past few weeks.
Here we take a closer look at the man in the middle of the Carabao Cup final.
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Who is Carabao Cup Finals Referee David Coote?
Coote’s career as a referee dates back to his beginnings as a 16-year-old in charge of amateur and semi-professional games in his hometown of Nottinghamshire.
From 2007 he continued his steady climb up the EFL pyramid before becoming a regular EFL Championship Referee from 2012.
He made his Premier League debut in November 2018, ironically making his first game for Newcastle as the Magpies lost 1-0 at West Bromwich Albion.
After that, however, he continued to move between the top two divisions before being officially promoted to Premier League referee at the start of the 2020/21 season and having over 82 Premier League games to his tally.
| season | games | yellow cards | Red cards |
| 2017/18 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 2018/19 | 11 | 35 | 0 |
| 2019/20 | 16 | 50 | 2 |
| 2020/21 | 21 | 68 | 3 |
| 2021/22 | 19 | 93 | 2 |
| 2022/23 | 13 | 48 | 1 |
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David Coote’s referee record and style
This game will be Coote’s biggest Wembley appearance but it is not the first time he has refereed a game at the famous stadium, having previously refereed EFL finals at the famous stadium.
His first game at Wembley came in the 2013/14 EFL League Two play-off final as Rotherham United defeated Leyton Orient on penalties before taking over the League One play-off final in 2016/17.
Based on his stats this season, Man United and Newcastle players need to be wary of his penchant for bookings based on 48 issued in the 2022/23 Premier League so far.
In that run, he recorded seven appearances in Fulham’s 2-1 win over Chelsea in January, showing Joao Felix a red card before dealing nine yellow cards in the Blues’ 1-0 defeat by Southampton last weekend.
David Coote’s career, background
Coote’s journey to becoming a Premier League referee is relatively well known, having announced his intention to become a match official at a young age.
The son of former Nottinghamshire cricketer David Coote Sr., he was advised to follow in his footsteps before opting for football over cricket.
The EFL’s decision to call him up for the Carabao Cup final is a career highlight for the 40-year-old and he has described the game as a “massive honor” in his professional career.