LAST UPDATE | 1 Jun 2023
UEFA IS AWAITING the match official’s reports before deciding whether to take action against Jose Mourinho for his rant at referee Anthony Taylor after Roma’s Europa League final defeat, the PA news agency understands.
Roma boss Mourinho was critical of Taylor in his post-match press conference after his side’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Sevilla in Budapest on Wednesday night.
And in video footage which later emerged on social media, the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager is seen gesticulating at Taylor and officials in the stadium car park and heard saying “disgrace”.
Taylor booked Mourinho during the game, which finished 1-1 after extra time before Sevilla sealed their seventh Europa League triumph by winning 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out.
Tempers simmered on and off the pitch in a disappointing final, with 13 players shown yellow cards, seven of them to Roma players, while fourth official Michael Oliver had his work cut out to keep control of both dug-outs.
The game was littered with delays, with a total of 25 minutes’ stoppage time added to the 120 minutes of playing time.
Mourinho lost for the first time in his sixth major European final, while Sevilla extended their record number of tournament wins following previous successes in 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2020.
Mourinho threw his future as Roma manager into further doubt after the game, saying he was “too tired” after the bitter pain of losing his first major European final to Sevilla.
The Spanish team triumphed 4-1 on penalties after the game in Budapest finished 1-1, with Paulo Dybala’s opener cancelled out by an own goal from Roma defender Gianluca Mancini.
Such a defeat is a new experience for Mourinho, 60, who had won all five of his previous major European finals, including last year’s inaugural Uefa Conference League final with the Italian side.
“I’m too tired to do the job as a trainer, as a spokesman of the club, to fight every time,” he said in the immediate aftermath of the defeat.
Mourinho told reporters that questions over his future were “not important at the moment”, adding he was looking forward to going on holiday at the end of the season.
Roma are sixth in Serie A with one match remaining.
The Portuguese said he was disappointed with the officiating during the final and felt a number of decisions went against his men.
“We felt pressure against a team that has more talent than us,” he said. “We lost a game but not dignity.
“I’ve never gone home prouder than today, even when I won. We had also worked hard on penalties but we missed two –- but all together, not only the penalty takers.
“Congratulations to Sevilla, but also congratulations to my players. The boys must go home peacefully, with pride for having done what they have done. These are my boys from Budapest.”
