Anthony Taylor, one of the Premier League’s most experienced referees, said his family has not attended one of his matches since the abuse he received after the Europa League final in 2023.
AS Roma were defeated by Sevilla on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest, and after the match, Taylor had to be escorted through a crowd of Roma supporters at the airport who were shouting abuse at him. PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) condemned the incident, saying it was “appalled at the unjustified and abhorrent abuse” of Taylor and his family.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Taylor said it was the “worst situation I’ve dealt with in terms of abuse” and that his family has not attended a match in which he has officiated since.
Taylor said: “Not only because I was travelling with family members at the time, but it also highlights the impact of people’s behaviour on others — and so yeah, there’s always scrutiny around big, high-profile matches.
“But even in a match like that where there was actually no major mistakes in the game. We’re trying to shift focus on to, for somebody to blame, and for me, that’s a great source of disappointment, frustration, anger.”
Taylor added the incident made him question whether he “made a mistake” by travelling with his family to the match. He added: “For what should have been a night of them simply travelling home and having enjoyed the final the night before then, it’s really disappointing to see.”
Jose Mourinho, who was Roma’s manager at the time, criticised Taylor’s performance at full time and was later filmed shouting at the English official in the stadium car park.
Taylor said incidents like Mourinho’s post-match criticism can influence the behaviour of supporters, and was critical of what he feels is a “win-at-all-cost” culture in football. Also, on World Mental Health Day (October 10), the 46-year-old referenced the mental impact the criticism could have on officials.
He said: “In what realm is an adult shouting verbal abuse to a referee or a young player who is under 18 years of age acceptable? In football it is, because every single weekend you can go to any local park across the UK and you can see a parent on the sideline verbally abusing a young referee.
“If we truly want to make it a better environment for everybody … the levels of abuse and criticism really need to be challenged in that environment to make sure that it’s an enjoyable game for absolutely everybody.
