The European Football Association (UEFA) condemned, on Friday, the harassment of European League final referee Anthony Taylor and his family by the Roma fans, while Jose Mourinho accused the Italian league coach of using abusive language against the match official.
Taylor came under scrutiny after Roma lost on penalties to Sevilla in Wednesday’s final.
The match was tight as Taylor picked up 14 yellow cards, the most ever in a Europa League match, and played nearly 30 minutes of injury 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 the video, Roma fans are seen abusing the 44-year-old Taylor and his family, who sought protection from airport security as they sought refuge in a safe area.
“UEFA strongly condemns the violent behavior directed at its referee Anthony Taylor and his family,” UEFA said in a statement. “Such behavior is unacceptable and undermines the spirit of fair play and respect that UEFA supports.”
UEFA maintains close cooperation with local police and airport security from the arrival of the referees to the host cities.
“However, we are constantly striving to enhance security measures for officials in coordination with local authorities. We will carefully assess incidents and incorporate valuable insights into future event planning processes.”
As part of the disciplinary measures following the final, UEFA on Friday charged Mourinho, who was filmed shouting insults at officials outside the Puskas Stadium.
The Portuguese manager criticized the referee in the post-match comments, saying, “It was an intense, masculine, vibrant match with a referee who looked Spanish. It was yellow, yellow, yellow the whole time.”
Supporters of both teams have also been accused of setting off fireworks and throwing objects, while Roma fans have allegedly committed malicious acts along with other crowd disturbances.
In addition, Sevilla were charged for pitching intrusive to their supporters, who quickly ran onto the pitch after Gonzalo Montiel kicked the winning penalty.
