Anthony Taylor on expecting perfection from referees as he opens up on the incident with Roma fans in 2023.
According to Premier League referee Anthony Taylor, his family no longer attends his games because of the abuse he endures, and he has lambasted the “expectation of perfection” mentality that officials are subjected to.
Taylor discusses for the first time in public his experience of being singled out by Roma supporters when strolling through an airport with his family during the 2023 Europa League final in an interview with BBC Sport.
The 46-year-old claims that he sometimes asks himself, “Is it all worth it?” because he is so troubled by attitudes towards referees.
But he also claims that one of the greatest occupations in the world is that of a top-flight official.
After his team fell to Sevilla on penalties in the 2023 Europa League final, Roma manager Jose Mourinho confronted Taylor.
Thirteen players were given yellow cards by the English referee during the game, and the entire contest, including extra time, was extended by 25 minutes.
Taylor was given a four-match suspension after Mourinho called him a “disgrace” repeatedly during a news conference after the game and then confronted him in a parking lot.
Then, as Taylor and his family passed through Budapest Airport, irate fans yelled at him.
“That’s the worst situation I’ve dealt with in terms of abuse,” he says.
“Not only because I was travelling with family members at the time, but it also highlights the impact of people’s behaviour on others. Even in a match like that, where there was actually no major mistakes in the game.”
Taylor felt after the match there was an attempt to “shift focus on to somebody to blame”.
He adds: “For me, that’s a great source of disappointment, frustration, anger.
“Why that’s acceptable, I don’t know – because I’m sure those individuals wouldn’t like somebody to turn around and say that to them or their own children.
“It makes you reflect back on whether you made a mistake travelling with your family in the first place. They haven’t been to one [match] since.”
Asked if he felt Mourinho’s behaviour could have influenced the fans who abused him, he says: “Yeah. I think if we’re being honest, yeah.”