Manchester United and Newcastle will be focused on the task of winning the 2022/23 Carabao Cup final this weekend and both sets of players will be familiar with the match referee David Coote.
The final will bring an end to the wait for a trophy for one team, and Coote will play a key role at Wembley, after the experienced official was picked to take charge by the EFL.
Following a string of VAR issues in the Premier League since the start of 2023, there will be extra pressure on Coote, with PGMOL chief Howard Webb forced to apologise for errors in recent weeks.
Here, we take a closer look at the man in the middle for the Carabao Cup final.
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Who is Carabao Cup final referee David Coote?
Coote's refereeing journey dates back to him starting out as a 16-year-old, in charge of amateur and semi professional matches, in his native Nottinghamshire.
He continued a steady rise through the EFL pyramid, starting in 2007, before stepping up to become a regular EFL Championship referee from 2012 onwards.
He made his Premier League debut in November 2018, with his first match ironically featuring Newcastle, as the Magpies lost 1-0 away at West Bromwich Albion.
However, he continued to rotate between the top two tiers after that, before being officially promoted as a Premier League referee at the start of the 2020/21 season, with over 82 Premier League matches to his name.
| 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 |
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 taken charge of a match at the famous stadium, having previously refereed EFL finals at the famous stadium.
His first outing at Wembley came in the 2013/14 EFL League Two playoff final, as Rotherham United beat Leyton Orient on penalties, before taking charge of the 2016/17 League One playoff final.
Based on his statistics this season, Man United and Newcastle players will need to be wary of his fondness for handing out cautions, based on 48 given out in the Premier League so far in 2022/23.
Within that run, he booked seven players in Fulham's 2-1 win over Chelsea in January, and issued a red card to Joao Felix, before dishing out nine yellow cards in the Blues' 1-0 defeat to Southampton last weekend.
🚨David Coote will be officiating the Carabao Cup final vs Man Utd at Wembley on 26th February. #NUFC pic.twitter.com/rJySpmnhYg
— ToonArmy (@toonarmy_com) February 14, 2023
David Coote's career, background
Coote's path towards becoming a Premier League referee is a relatively well known one after indicating his intention to become a match official from a young age.
As the son of former Nottinghamshire cricketer, David Coote Sr, he was tipped 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 honour' in his professional career.
