(Reuters) – Harassment of Europa League final referee Anthony Taylor and his family by AS Roma fans at Budapest Airport was condemned on Thursday by the PGMOL, which oversees refereeing in English professional football, after videos circulated on social media.
Taylor came under scrutiny following Roma’s 4-1 shootout loss to Sevilla in UEFA’s second-tier final on Wednesday.
“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,” a statement from PGMOL said.
Roma manager Jose Mourinho criticised the refereeing after the game and was filmed shouting at the match officials outside the Puskas Arena.
“It was an intense, masculine, vibrant game with a referee who seemed Spanish. It was yellow, yellow, yellow all the time,” Mourinho said.
In the video, Roma fans can be seen harassing and abusing the 44-year-old Taylor and his family, who required protection from airport security as they sought refuge in a safe area.
Measures were also taken to shield Englishman Taylor from water and flying objects.
“We will continue to provide our full support to Anthony and his family,” PGMOL added.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
