Premier League referee blames Mourinho for harassment incident in 2023 | OneFootball

Renowned referee of the Premier League for 15 years, the Englishman Anthony Taylor recalled the main difficulties of the profession in his extensive career. The referee chose a case of harassment, suffered by him and his family in 2023, as the most negatively impactful in his time as a professional.

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On that occasion, Taylor had refereed the Europa League final between Sevilla and Roma, which was the runner-up with José Mourinho on the sidelines. In the post-match press conference, the Portuguese coach strongly criticized the referee, who later, while with his family, was approached and insulted by several Italian fans at the airport in Budapest, Hungary. The referee believes that Mourinho's words influenced the intensity of the insults from Roma fans.

“Yes (Mourinho had influence). I think if we are honest, yes. That was the worst situation I dealt with in terms of harassment. Not only because I was with my family, but also because it highlights the impact of people's behavior on others. Even in a game like that, where there weren't really major errors,” said Taylor, in an interview with BBC Sport.

(Photo: AFP)

What really happened

Roma lost the UEFA Europa League final on penalties, which led José Mourinho to harshly criticize the referee, who showed yellow cards to 13 players and gave a total of 25 minutes of compensation (including in extra time).

“For me, it is a great source of disappointment, frustration, anger. I am sure those individuals would not like someone to say that to them or their children. It makes you wonder if you made a mistake by traveling with your family,” Taylor said.

Anthony Taylor, in a Liverpool match – Photo: Paul ELLIS / AFP

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.