David Coote, the former Premier League referee dismissed in December 2024 after comments about Liverpool and Jürgen Klopp, has been charged with making an indecent video of a child. He was charged on Aug. 12 and is due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates Court on Thursday, Sept. 11. Coote has been released from custody on conditional bail.

Coote’s top-flight refereeing career was ended by Professional Game Match Officials Limited after those comments were judged a “serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract.” The Football Association also imposed an eight-week ban in August related to the remarks about Liverpool and Klopp.

Earlier, Coote initially disputed the legitimacy of the video but later admitted it was genuine. In a lengthy interview with The Sun he acknowledged drug abuse and spoke about his struggles with hiding his sexuality. He said that he “didn’t recognise” himself in the video where he called Klopp a derogatory term.

UEFA has already barred Coote from officiating until June 30, 2026. That suspension followed the publication of photographs showing him snorting a white powder, after he had been selected to appear as an assistant VAR official at Euro 2024.

The sequence of sanctions and allegations has removed Coote from match duties at domestic and European levels while criminal procedures proceed. He faces the upcoming magistrates court hearing in September and remains on conditional bail as the legal process continues.

EA Sports has published the list of the top 26 rated Premier League players in EA FC 26, a list headlined by Mohamed Salah and Rodri. The rankings double as an early look at Ultimate Team walkouts, the in-game term for player items rated 86 or higher.

Liverpool and Arsenal each register seven walkouts in FC 26. The coverage notes summer signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak among those for the league champions. Arsenal’s entries include Saliba, Saka, Rice and Gyökeres. Manchester City record six walkouts, including new goalkeeper Donnarumma, leaving City just behind the two sides that finished above them in the league.

Bruno Fernandes keeps the same overall rating from FC 25 to FC 26 despite a difficult season for Manchester United. Other Premier League clubs with multiple walkouts include Newcastle United and Chelsea.

Mohamed Salah is the highest rated player in the Premier League for EA FC 26 and is also the joint-highest rated Ultimate Team player alongside Kylian Mbappé.

A number of notable players receive downgrades at the start of the year, with Rodri, Haaland and Ødegaard listed among those reduced. Several familiar names are absent from the walkout list this year in the Premier League, including Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Emiliano Martínez. Players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Son Heung-min also miss out on walkouts in FC 26, a situation attributed in the notes to players transferring clubs over the summer.

The EA FC 26 reveal offers an early snapshot of how Ultimate Team will represent Premier League talent this season, and the distribution of walkouts underlines how summer moves and seasonal form have influenced opening ratings.

Hugo Ekitiké has acknowledged the selection challenge that follows Alexander Isak’s Deadline Day arrival at Liverpool, but he shifted responsibility for the decision to manager Arne Slot. The club spent £125 million on the new No. 9, and the expectation is that the club’s new No. 9 will surely be Slot’s first-choice option through the middle. Ekitiké, the 23-year-old Liverpool striker, offered a calm response when asked about the reshaped attacking options while on international duty for France.

“When you play for the best teams, you inevitably expect to be competing with the best players,” he told reporters. He added praise for Isak and outlined his own approach to the situation. “Isak is a player I watched, so seeing him arrive is a pleasure. It’s going to provide tough competition, but I’m going to focus on being good and performing well so that it’s just the coach’s problem.”

Those remarks underline a pragmatic mindset: accept the competition and force the coach into making selection choices. Slot has already indicated how he might deploy Ekitiké after Isak’s arrival. “I see Hugo mainly as a No. 9 that could also play from the left or play together with another No. 9,” the Dutch boss mused earlier this summer. That comment suggested Ekitiké may be moved wider or paired up when Isak leads the line centrally.

Beyond tactical questions, Ekitiké spoke about the personal impact of his transfer. He reflected on the move to Merseyside with simple enthusiasm. “My life has changed,” he gushed.

The situation frames Liverpool’s forward line as an internal contest between two established options and places the onus on Slot to balance form, fit and personnel. For Ekitiké, the route is clear: perform well and leave the selection headache to his manager.