It was a controversial UEFA Europa League final, but soccer fans’ frustration crossed a line. The referee, Anthony Taylor, has received real threats of violence.
The British Referees Support Group released a short video on social media (social media) Twitter showing Taylor and his family being threatened by soccer fans at the airport. The video shows a group of soccer fans surrounding the group while they were unprotected and chanting, and a chair is seen flying in Taylor’s direction as he rushes out of the airport. It didn’t hit Taylor’s family, but it was a dangerous situation. Taylor moves to protect a young woman who appears to be his daughter. A soccer fan tried to grab a woman who appeared to be Taylor’s wife, but was restrained by another man. There was also a fight at the scene that involved kicking, but according to another soccer fan who saw it, it appeared to be between fans.스포츠토토
The crowd at the airport also shouted threatening chants such as “kill me” between songs, and there were attempts to spit in his face.
Taylor was in charge of the 2022-2023 UEFA Europa League final at the Puszkász Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on Jan. 1 (ET). Sevilla won 4PK1 in penalty kicks after playing AS Roma to a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes.
The officiating was controversial. Sevilla were the first to complain when Roma’s goal was not disallowed for a foul. This was followed by a decision that Roma would have been unhappy with. In the penalty area, a Sevilla player was clearly hit in the arm by the ball, but no penalty was awarded. There were 14 warnings as both teams protested furiously.
But while social media threats against referees are one thing, physical threats on the road have crossed the line, with the UK Referees’ Support Group saying: “The comments made by the manager and the behavior of the players are inflaming fans and increasing concerns. Serious accidents or violence are imminent.”
The organization was referring to comments made by Roma manager Mourinho. Mourinho complained about the officiating in his post-match press conference, and then became verbally abusive when he confronted referee Taylor after the game.
Even after the airport video went viral, some Roma fans on social media were saying things like “he should have done more” and “let’s get revenge. Italian football columnist Susie Campanale pointed out that Mourinho and others should stop dehumanizing referees before there are real victims. They shouldn’t encourage the tendency to perceive referees as subhuman beings who can be insulted and violated to their heart’s content without considering them as fellow human beings after the game.