Roma boss Jose Mourinho charged by UEFA over criticism of referee Anthony Taylor

Anthony Taylor has received widespread support since footage emerged of him being accosted by Roma fans at Budapest Aiport. ITV News' Amy Lewis reports

Roma manager Jose Mourinho has been charged by UEFA for using insulting language towards referee Anthony Taylor, in the aftermath of Wednesday's Europa League final defeat to Sevilla.

Subsequent video footage of Taylor being accosted by angry fans at the airport has been condemned by the PGMOL and Premier League, which said it was "shocked and appalled" by the abuse suffered by the official.

Mourinho's charge for using insulting/abusive language towards a match official is one of a number of charges levelled against both clubs by European football's governing body, after a stormy final that yielded 13 yellow cards.

Taylor booked Mourinho during the game, which finished 1-1 after extra time before Sevilla sealed their seventh Europa League triumph by winning 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out.

The Roma manager criticised Taylor in his post-match press conference, and in video footage which later emerged on social media, the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss was seen gesticulating at Taylor and officials in the stadium car park and heard saying "disgrace".

Both Roma and Sevilla have also been charged with throwing of objects, lighting of fireworks, and the improper conduct of the team. In addition, Roma have been charged with crowd disturbances and acts of damage.

In the incident at the airport, clips on Twitter show a chair and drinks being thrown in the direction of Taylor and his group as they make their way through a gathering of Roma fans.

Budapest Airport confirmed an Italian citizen has been arrested in a statement to ITV News.

It read: "The Italian citizen involved in the incident was apprehended by the Police and criminal proceedings have been initiated on charges of affray.

"There were no further disturbances at the airport following the Police response to this isolated incident.

"Budapest Airport and the Police wish to make it clear that there is zero tolerance towards violence of any kind towards passengers or staff working at the airport."

Refereeing body PGMOL and the Premier League have condemned the actions after Taylor was captured on video trying to evade a mob.

Following the incident at the airport, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said in a statement on Thursday evening: "PGMOL is aware of videos circulating on social media showing Anthony Taylor and his family being harassed and abused at Budapest Airport.

"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."

The Premier League said in a separate statement: "We are shocked and appalled by the unacceptable abuse directed at Anthony Taylor and his family as they travelled back from the UEFA Europa League Final.

"No one should have to suffer the inexcusable behaviour they had to endure yesterday.

"Anthony is one of our most experienced and accomplished match officials and we fully support him and his family."

Tempers simmered on and off the pitch in a disappointing final, with 13 players shown yellow cards, seven of them to Roma players, while fourth official Michael Oliver had his work cut out to keep control of both dug-outs.

The game was littered with delays, with a total of 25 minutes' stoppage time added to the 120 minutes of playing time.

How bad is it for referees?

Referees report facing abuse at a grassroots level in the UK. Data obtained by ITV News revealed that police were called to an incident in which a referee had been abused 64 times in 2022.

The figures suggest that a referee somewhere in the UK felt threatened enough to call police more than once a week last year.

That's based on responses from 27 out of 46 police forces in the UK, meaning the true figure is likely far higher.

Based on the responses, the highest number of incidents were recorded in Manchester, with eight calls to police.

In one of the more shocking reports, North Wales Police recorded a referee at a children's football match being assaulted and thrown to the ground by one of the parents. An off-duty police officer there at the time helped the referee back to his car.

A BBC survey in February found 293 officials had been physically abused by spectators, players, coaches or managers out of 927 Referees' Association members who provided responses.

The figure for those who had experienced verbal abuse was much higher - 908 out of 927.

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