Angry Jose Mourinho Awaits Referee Anthony Taylor in Car Park, Screams Explicit Outburst Following Roma’s Defeat
In a fiery aftermath to Roma’s loss on penalties to Sevilla, Jose Mourinho vented his frustration at referee Anthony Taylor, labeling him a “disgrace.” The match saw the Italians take the lead before Sevilla mounted a comeback and clinched their seventh Europa League title in a shootout. Mourinho, known for his passion and intensity, was unable to maintain his perfect record in European finals and found himself unable to contain his anger.
In the closing moments of the match, Nemanja Matic’s fall to the ground incited Sevilla’s bench, which further fueled Mourinho’s rage. Moments before the final whistle, he had to be restrained on the touchline. Following Roma’s 4-1 defeat in the shootout, with two missed penalties by Roma players, the passionate Portuguese manager did not hold back his emotions when confronting Taylor in the car park.
Descending to the car park of Budapest’s Puskas Arena, Mourinho’s voice could be heard loudly expressing his discontent: “It’s a disgrace, man. It’s a disgrace.” In his frustration, Mourinho switched to Italian, adding an expletive-laden remark. Approaching the mini-bus that carried the referee away from the stadium, he uttered, “Congratulations, f***ing disgrace.”
Mourinho now faces the possibility of a significant ban from UEFA due to his outburst. Reflecting on the match, the former Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham boss commented, “Next year we won’t be playing in the Champions League, and that’s a good thing because we’re not made for it.” He expressed hope that Taylor officiates only in the Champions League, where he claimed similar “bull****” happens, rather than in the Europa League.
Throughout the final, Roma received a total of seven yellow cards. The Italian side was adamant that Erik Lamela should have received a second yellow card for a cynical foul before scoring in the shootout. They also had a penalty appeal waved away. Additionally, Gonzalo Montiel, who scored Argentina’s final penalty in the World Cup final, had to retake his spot kick as Rui Patricio stepped off the line before it was taken.
Mourinho criticized the referee’s performance, stating, “It was an intense, vibrant game with a referee who seemed Spanish. It was yellow, yellow, yellow all the time. The injustice is shown by the fact that Lamela should’ve had a second yellow, he didn’t, and he converted a penalty in the shootout.”
This incident was not the first time Mourinho resorted to waiting in a car park to express his frustrations after a match. He famously confronted the referee in the Camp Nou car park following Real Madrid’s Spanish Cup defeat to Barcelona in 2012.
The Roma players echoed their manager’s fury, with on-loan Leeds defender Diego Llorente criticizing the referee’s decisions. Llorente expressed surprise, as Taylor is an internationally renowned referee with a great reputation.
As for Mourinho’s future, the 60-year-old manager, who has been in charge of Roma since July 2021, revealed that he has not yet made a decision. He stated, “I am going on vacation on Monday. If we have time to talk about it before Monday, we will. If not, I will go on vacation, and then we’ll see.” Mourinho emphasized his commitment to fighting for his players but remained uncertain about his continuation as the team’s manager. He emphasized his transparency with the club and stated that they would be the first to know if he had any contact with other clubs. With a year remaining on his contract, Mourinho finds himself in a contemplative position.
Notably, Mourinho has received three red cards in Serie A this season and will miss Roma’s final game due to a suspension resulting from accumulating five bookings.
