Jamie Vardy could face disciplinary action from the Football Association after reportedly making a derogatory comment to match referee Andrew Madley about his colleague David Coote prior to Leicester City’s clash with Chelsea on Saturday, Football Insider has revealed.
The 37-year-old Leicester striker allegedly made the remark on the pitch shortly after the team arrived at the King Power Stadium for the lunchtime kick-off.
Coote, a Premier League referee, is a close friend of Madley and is currently under suspension following the circulation of a video in which he appeared to make disparaging comments about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) is treating the video as authentic, and the FA has launched its own investigation into the matter.
Sources suggest Madley included the Vardy incident as an “extraordinary incident” in his match report, which the FA is now reviewing.
The PGMOL also submitted a separate report referencing the episode. If found guilty of breaching FA misconduct regulations, Vardy could face significant punishment.
“Extraordinary incidents” carry the potential for harsh penalties, as illustrated last week when Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur was handed a seven-match ban for an alleged racist remark about teammate Son Heung-min. Similar scrutiny could await Vardy, depending on the FA’s findings.
Coote, meanwhile, has been embroiled in controversy since the emergence of the Klopp video and subsequent images published by The Sun.
The pictures allegedly show Coote sniffing a white powder through a rolled-up banknote during this summer’s European Championship, where he served as an official. Uefa has also launched an investigation into Coote’s behaviour, suspending him indefinitely.
For Vardy, the timing of the controversy coincides with a turbulent moment at Leicester. Saturday’s game marked the final outing for manager Steve Cooper, who was sacked less than 24 hours later following an owner-led dressing room inquest.
The FA’s decision on Vardy’s conduct could set a precedent, especially given the heightened scrutiny of officials and players amid ongoing investigations into Coote’s actions.
