While I enjoy exercising, I can’t say that I enjoy watching sports, or know a whole lot about it. My knowledge of professional sports is mostly limited to what I overhear at TSA checkpoints, as the officers argue about which player is better, or something. Anyway, on to our once annual sports coverage here at OMAAT, since there’s an aviation angle…
Anthony Taylor attacked at Budapest Airport
The Europa League final took place on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary. Specifically, the game was between Sevilla and Roma. They tied 1-1, and then Sevilla won 4-1 in penalty kicks.
The game was refereed by Anthony Taylor, and some people weren’t too happy with the calls he made (more on that in a bit). While it’s normal for not everyone to agree on calls, what shouldn’t be normal is attacking the referee for these calls. Taylor flew out of Budapest Airport (BUD) with his family on Thursday, June 1, 2023, and ended up being ambushed by Roma fans.
In addition to people heckling him, you can see people trying to throw drinks at him, and even someone trying to throw a chair at him. You can see his daughter in tears while she walks next to him, and the police even have to step in to protect them.
I know telling sports fans “chill, it’s just a game” doesn’t go over well, but… can we please chill, because it’s just a game? No matter how you feel about a call, trying to assault someone is disgusting, and shouldn’t be tolerated. I don’t understand peoples’ lack of decency. I mean, do you see his daughter crying? And does trying to throw a chair at them somehow make you feel better?
I’m a little saddened that even people I respect seem to have a very bad take on this. When someone points out how it’s “shocking” that a referee was attacked at the airport, the response is that… this wouldn’t have happened if he was a fair referee? Really?
Taylor also suffered some abuse when leaving the game, when Roma manager Jose Mourinho stopped Taylor to call him a “f*cking crook” and tell him to “f*ck off.”
In response to this incident, the Premier League has issued the following statement:
We are shocked and appalled by the unacceptable abuse directed at Anthony Taylor and his family as they travelled back from the UEFA Europa League Final.
No one should have to suffer the inexcusable behaviour they had to endure yesterday.
Anthony is one of our most experienced and accomplished match officials and we fully support him and his family.
Why is Anthony Taylor so controversial?
So, why are so many people angry at Taylor? It involves a handball call, or lack thereof. Below you can see the video clip of the ball hitting the hand of a Sevilla player.
Taylor didn’t call for a penalty for this. Why? Well, according to the rules, here are the circumstances under which you can call a handball:
An arm that is extended laterally or vertically can make the body unnaturally bigger, covering more space than necessary. Therefore, a handball in an “unnatural position” can be called, even if it is not done so deliberately.
So the disagreement comes down to whether the player’s arm was extended unnaturally or not. Taylor ruled it wasn’t. Interestingly virtually all Sevilla fans seem to agree with him, while virtually all Roma fans don’t. What a coincidence!
Bottom line
Football referee Anthony Taylor was ambushed at Budapest Airport, after the Europa League final between Sevilla and Roma. Roma fans weren’t happy with some of his calls (in particular him not making a handball call). This not only caused the Roma manager to call him a “f*cking crook,” but then he was also attacked at the airport, with people trying to throw drinks and even a chair and him and his family.
Regardless of how you feel about his refereeing (and I have no skin in the game here), we should do better…
What do you make of this situation?
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