Sacked Premier League referee David Coote has been charged with making child sexual abuse videos.
The 43-year-old official was dismissed by PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) in December last year and is set to appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court for trial on Thursday.
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday that Coote has been charged with creating a "Category A" child video.
Category A is the most serious classification, typically involving the rape or sexual abuse of young children by adults.
The police added that Coote was charged on August 12 in connection with “a video file discovered by the police in February this year.”
Coote's dismissal from PGMOL came after videos emerged showing him referring to former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp as a "German bastard," and appearing to snort white powder during last summer's Euro Championship.
Last month, he was banned for eight weeks by The Football Association (FA) over the first incident, having previously been suspended by UEFA over the second.
Previously, he was accused of discussing showing a yellow card to a player before a match, but was ultimately cleared of the allegation. Coote denied any misconduct and claimed that any accusations related to the matter were “false and defamatory.”
Earlier this summer, PGMOL Chairman Howard Webb ruled out the possibility of Coote returning to refereeing.
"I'm afraid it will be very hard for David to come back," Webb said. “We have kept in touch with him; he is part of our refereeing family and has served the sport for a long time. I have a close personal relationship with him and have known him for many years.”
"So David's situation is a sad one, but I think his return would also be very difficult."
