Jose Mourinho accused of using abusive language against referee after Europa League final loss

Referee Anthony Taylor angered the Roma coach after the Italian team lost on penalties to Sevilla in the European League final last Wednesday.

The match seemed tight as Taylor produced 14 yellow cards, the most ever in a Europa League match, and played nearly 30 minutes of stoppage time.

The day after the match, videos circulated on social media showing English referee Taylor and his family being harassed by Roma fans at Budapest Airport.

In one of the videos, Serie A Roma fans were seen abusing the 44-year-old Taylor and his family, who sought protection from airport security as they sought to stay in a safe area.

UEFA said in a statement: “UEFA strongly condemns the violent conduct directed against referee Anthony Taylor and his family.
Such behavior is unacceptable and undermines the spirit of fair play and respect that UEFA supports for the game. UEFA maintains close cooperation with the local police and airport security starting from the arrival of the referees in the host cities. However, we are constantly striving to enhance security measures for governors in coordination with local authorities.”

“We will carefully evaluate events and incorporate any valuable insights into future event planning processes,” the statement added.

As part of the disciplinary measures after the final match, Mourinho was charged by UEFA on Friday after he was photographed making insulting remarks to the refereeing staff outside the Puskas stadium.

The Portuguese coach criticized the match referee in his statements after the match, saying, “It was a strong and vibrant match that was run by a referee who appeared to be from Spain. There were yellow cards all the time.”

Supporters of both teams have also been charged with setting off fireworks and throwing projectiles, while Roma fans have been charged with some harmful acts and other crowd issues.

In addition, Sevilla were charged with a pitch invasion as the crowd quickly rushed onto the field after Gonzalo Montiel took the decisive penalty.