Jose Mourinho blasted by ex-Prem ref as UEFA urged to issue huge ban

Pictures from the final day of the Premier League

Jose Mourinho’s ‘indefensible’ behaviour following Roma’s defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League final should be punished with a lengthy six-match ban, according to former Premier League match official Mark Halsey. Roma were cruelly beaten on penalties by their Spanish opponents in a fiery encounter after 120 minutes of football ended with the scores level, marking the Portuguese manager’s first career loss in a European final.

Paulo Dybala’s first-half opener for Roma was cancelled out after the interval by an own goal from Gianluca Mancini before penalties were eventually required to determine this year’s Europa League winners. Sevilla went on to hold their nerve in order to claim the spoils and qualify for next season’s Champions League, while Roma were left empty-handed and will not play top-tier European football in 2023/24 as a result.

Mourinho was left hugely frustrated with the performance of referee Anthony Taylor in Budapest on Wednesday night and made his feelings known by waiting for him in the car park before calling him a ‘disgrace’ in a sweary post-match rant. Taylor and his family were then swarmed by Roma supporters in the airport before flying back to Britain, with one man even being spotted throwing a chair in a viral video clip of the incident.

Halsey, who refereed in the Premier League between 1999 and 2013, was quick to condemn Mourinho’s post-match conduct in his column for The Sun by suggesting that the Portuguese manager’s verbal abuse of Taylor risks setting a bad example to the rest of the world.

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“Jose Mourinho’s X-rated attack on Anthony Taylor in the Budapest car park was indefensible,” wrote Halsey. “The post-match actions from Roma boss Mourinho by following Prem ref Taylor and other match officials were out of order, but the volley of abuse was even worse.

“I have never seen that sort of appalling behaviour from a manager towards an official. As much as football people like Mourinho, you cannot chase officials after a match. I can not understand what he was thinking. Where is the respect in questioning Taylor’s integrity by calling him Spanish in his post-match press conference? What message do his words and actions send to everyone watching around the world?”

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Halsey went on to call for Mourinho to be hit with a six-game ban in order to show that abuse of match officials will not be tolerated by UEFA, while he also suggested that Roma and Sevilla should be deducted points from their respective European campaigns next season.

“Fines and touchline bans are not a deterrent, so I hope Europe’s governing body acts,” added Halsey. “The level of abuse towards officials is evident in Europe and in English football and points deductions are the only answer. The FA revealed this week they are bringing this punishment into grassroots football but it should start at the top.

“I would deduct Sevilla and Roma three points from their next European campaigns with another three suspended for the rest of the group stage. And I would also ban Mourinho, wherever he goes, for six games because of his unacceptable conduct. Abuse to officials keeps happening so I think this level of punishment is the only way to sort it out.”

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