Europa League referee attacked by angry Roma fans at airport

European football continues to be rocked by violence both on and off the pitch. The latest incident involves an attack on Europa League final referee Anthony Taylor, who was targeted by angry Roma supporters at the Budapest International Airport.

Videos of the attack went viral on social media late on Thursday, wherein Taylor and his family could be seen attempting to navigate the airport through a hostile crowd. It is unclear if they arrived by themselves, but security eventually helped them get to a private room amid the chaos.

In one of the videos, someone is seen throwing a chair towards Taylor as he was entering a room with the help of security personnel. Luckily, the chair was intercepted by a fast-acting officer, who managed to shove it away in mid-air. A water bottle also narrowly missed hitting a woman who was travelling with the British referee.

The angry mob could be heard cursing at Taylor, who was in charge of the Europa League final between Roma and Sevilla on Wednesday night. It was a heartbreaking evening for Roma fans, who felt robbed due to numerous questionable calls by Taylor himself.

Sevilla won 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw on extra time

Much of the agitation of the Roma fans stemmed from a handball by Sevilla midfielder Fernando. A VAR review confirmed that the ball hit his arm off a cross from Nemaja Matic, but the officials adjudged his hands to have been in a natural position. Thus, denying Roma's pleas for a penalty.

Paulo Dybala put the Italians in front after 35 minutes, but an own goal by Gianluca Mancini in the second half gave Sevilla the equaliser. This pushed the match into extra time and into a penalty shootout.

Taylor had to make another crucial decision after Gonzalo Montiel's penalty was saved by Rui Patricio. The referee flagged the keeper for encroachment and gave the Sevilla player another chance to convert what would eventually be the title-winning penalty.

Roma manager Jose Mourinho was fuming mad throughout most of the match, and even found himself getting booked. After the match ended, he even waited for Taylor at the parking lot to call him a "f***ing disgrace."

Mourinho later complained about the 13 yellow cards that Taylor handed out during the match, saying that it felt like the match was being officiated by a Spanish referee, clearly implying that the Briton was favouring Sevilla.

He also said that he felt the result was "unjust" and pointed out another issue other than the handball and the penalties. "The injustice is shown by the fact Lamela should've had a second yellow, he didn't, and he converted a penalty in the shoot-out," he said.

"We're dead tired physically, dead tired mentally, dead because we think it is an unjust defeat with lots of incidents that are debatable."

Needless to say, the animosity from the Roma side was not surprising, but the attacks were appalling nonetheless.

Professional Game Match Officials condemn the attack

Following the attack on Taylor and his family at the Budapest Airport, the PGMOL released a statement to condemn the incident. "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."

Social media users are divided in their opinion of the incident. While most are shocked and disgusted by the attack on Taylor and members of his family, others are taking Mourinho's side and slamming UEFA for the quality of officiating during some of the biggest games in the sport.

Calls are being made to treat the root of the problem. Fans are questioning how it is possible to have so many controversial decisions during a match even with the presence of VAR and other technologies that should help make calls more consistent.

It is still unclear if any of the individuals at the airport who were involved in the aggression towards Anthony and his family have been identified or investigated.