UEFA charges Mourinho over referee abuse
Published
European football's governing body, UEFA, charged Roma manager Jose Mourinho for using insulting or abusive language towards referee Anthony Taylor during Wednesday's Europa League Final in Budapest.
Mourinho's side fell 1-1 (4-1 on penalties) to Sevilla, marking the first time that the Portuguese manager had lost a European final in his career.
After the match, video showed Mourinho approaching Taylor in the stadium parking lot and confronting him in a foul-mouthed rant.
Social media also showed Roma fans accosting Taylor and his family at the airport as they attempted to board their flight.
On Thursday, the referees' union, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) issued a statement condemning the abuse of Taylor.
“PGMOL is aware of videos circulating on social media showing Anthony Taylor and his family being harassed and abused at Budapest Airport," it read. “We are appalled at the unjustified and abhorrent abuse directed at Anthony and his family as he tries to make his way home from refereeing the UEFA Europa League final. We will continue to provide our full support to Anthony and his family.”Wednesday's final was chaotic at times with 13 players cautioned and 25 minutes of stoppage added due to various delays.
Prior to Wednesday's loss, Mourinho had a perfect record in European finals, winning the 2003 UEFA Cup and 2004 Champions League with Porto, the 2010 Champions League with Inter, the 2017 Europa League with Manchester United and the 2022 Europa Conference League with Roma.