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Zander Murray, the first footballer to come out as gay in Scotland's senior leagues, has spoken about the pressures on the former Premier League referee David Coote.

Coote was sacked in December by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).

Murray says Coote made a "huge mistake" but he understands his struggle with identity and sexuality in the face of public pressure:

"This is the second onslaught. From the first onslaught, he could not have come out during that period because he could not have handled that".

After the original misconduct allegations, Murray texted him to ask how he was doing.

"He said, 'I'm not OK but I do have my family here - thank you'".

Coote said the pressure of hiding his sexuality contributed to the behaviour that led to his sacking.

This clip was originally from Nicky Campbell on 28 January 2025.

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