English referee Anthony Taylor and his family have been confronted by a group of Roma fans at Budapest Airport after the Italian side’s defeat by Sevilla in the Europa League final.
Clips on social media show Taylor and his family being ushered out of a cafe and into a secure area by airport security after supporters hounded the referee following an ill-tempered final on Wednesday evening.
The clips on Twitter show a chair and bottle being thrown in the direction of Taylor and his group, which included two females.
The English referees body PGMOL said in a statement it was “aware of videos circulating on social media showing Anthony Taylor and his family being harassed and abused at Budapest Airport”.
They said: “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.”
Sky Sports News has also contacted UEFA for comment.
Sevilla won on penalties to condemn Roma manager Jose Mourinho to his first defeat in a European final after a match which saw Premier League referee Taylor dish out 14 yellow cards, the most ever in a Europa League game, and play almost 30 minutes of stoppage time in total.
Referee Anthony Taylor with AS Roma players during the final
Roma players talk to Referee Anthony Taylor. Pic: AP
After the game, footage that has been shared widely on social media showed Mourinho directing a string of expletives towards the officials in the car park, labelling their performance a “disgrace”.
UEFA are waiting on the referee’s match report before deciding whether to take any action against Mourinho.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher praised Taylor’s performance, telling Sky Sports News on Thursday: “I don’t think he could’ve done anything different.
“He was tested over and over and over again. In all kinds of manners, physically and mentally.”
