Henry Winter's take on it:
The David Coote story is a question of trust. Referees have to be careful of who they trust around them. It’s naïve and risky to voice critical thoughts, and plain thick to do so if aware you’re being recorded. Careless talk costs careers. It’s also a question of fans, players and managers having trust in referees. A mix of paranoia and tribalism has produced a sulphurous reaction that PGMOL has to tackle to protect the image of the game. It’s obviously right to order swiftly a full investigation into the video circulating on social media and give Coote a chance to explain/defend himself and address the allegation of any agenda. Many fans believe refs generally have it in for their teams; this is not a one-club issue. It's certainly not a great generation of officials, the game’s got faster, there’s more grappling and simulation, and the scrutiny and abuse is more intense than ever.
They’re trying to improve standards via further investment in grass-roots refereeing, fast-tracking ex-players and academy graduates who don’t make the grade and specialist VARs. But even more is required, as is clamping down on the abuse young refs get in grass-roots from parents, coaches, players that put them off continuing.
As for recruiting foreign refs, they’re not perfect, and some do get criticised in their own leagues. More match-day accountability and transparency, properly explaining decisions, is needed here, not waiting a fortnight for Howard Webb to be “mic’d up”. Communication matters. So does trust.