Europa League final referee, family abused by Roma fans at airport

Ugly scenes at the airport as Anthony Taylor attempted to leave Budapest

A Roma fan was arrested by Hungarian police after fans threatened Europa League final referee Anthony Taylor and his family at Budapest’s airport on Thursday.

The arrest comes one day after Roma fans spotted Taylor and his family about to board a flight home, with many loudly chanting at and mobbing the group. Security staff intervened, but not before video showed drinks and a chair being thrown in Taylor’s direction.

A statement from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport and local police published by The Mirror said that “Anthony Taylor, the referee of the UEFA Europa League final, was involved in an incident at Ferenc Liszt International (Budapest) Airport yesterday evening. Fans of the losing Roma team recognized the referee in the food court of the airport, where he was waiting for his flight to depart,” before later adding that “the Italian citizen involved in the incident was apprehended by the police and criminal proceedings have been initiated on charges of affray.”

Fans react after Mourinho rage

Taylor was the referee for a contentious Europa League final that ended with Roma falling on penalty kicks to Sevilla. The match featured a record 14 yellow cards, and Roma manager Jose Mourinho focused most of his post-game remarks on criticizing Taylor, strongly implying a bias against the Roman side.

Mourinho then followed up his press conference tirade by waiting in the team bus parking lot to call Taylor a “f—–g crook” with enough vigor that a staffer was seen restraining him. Mourinho was, predictably, charged by UEFA for the whole episode.

While it’s easy to write that off as Mourinho being Mourinho — over the last few months alone, he’s called one of his own players a traitor, was sent off for yelling at referees in a loss to Cremonese, jeered children, and wore a wire while coaching — there’s a big difference between harsh words in a press conference or from the touchline compared to physically waiting around to accost a referee in a parking lot.

While there are failures of security involved in sending a referee of a big match to a public food court among fans of the defeated team, the general air around how the game was officiated could have been tamped down by Mourinho and others. Taking the step from disagreement with calls to accusations of outright bias creates an atmosphere where referees are pressured, intimidated, or outright put in danger.

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