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Actions and words have consequences. From the Premier League to grassroots, the abuse of referees is a crisis that faces all levels of football, but the pattern of behaviour only flows in one direction: it starts at the top and is mimicked at the bottom. The appalling abuse suffered by English referee Anthony Taylor as he travelled home from officiating the Europa League final highlighted that cause and effect. Taylor had been tasked with officiating a fractious and ill-tempered contest between Roma and Sevilla in Budapest: the sort of match where the referee finds themselves at the heart of the action as much as the players. After Roma lost on penalties, Jose Mourinho blamed Taylor for the defeat. The manager then confronted Taylor in the car park, launching a tirade of insults and labelling him a “f***ing disgrace”. A few hours later, Taylor was confronted again, but this time the 44-year-old was not faced with just one aggrieved dissenter. As Taylor arrived at the airport with his family, the referee was surrounded by a mob of Roma supporters. Still incensed by their team’s defeat the previous night, the Roma fans attempted to get to Taylor and objects and drinks were thrown in his direction. Taylor, who could be seen shielding two women from the attack, was left without adequate protection. The scenes were dangerous and frightening. A line had been crossed, but it was crossed by Mourinho the night before, first as he identified Taylor as the reason Roma lost and then as he approached Taylor in the car park. The Englishman made a few contentious decisions during the final – Roma were denied a penalty in the final moments of extra time, and Mourinho believed Sevilla should have been shown a red card – but Roma’s defeat had as much to do with Mourinho’s negative approach after taking their lead than any of the referee’s decisions. Taylor had been praised elsewhere for how he handled the final – a game that appeared as unmanageable as an official could face. But there is a difference between being aggrieved at ending up on the losing side and turning criticism of the referee personal, targeted and aggressive. Mourinho had sat in his post-match press conference and said his team “lost a game but not their dignity” before accosting Taylor in the car park, away from the pitch. Any argument that criticism of the referee is part of the game vanished when Mourinho crossed that line. A day later, Taylor was confronted again in a public space at Budapest Airport but this time, Taylor or his family could have been seriously harmed. It was a reminder that touchline behaviour at the top level filters down to real-life situations. The body that represents elite referees in England, PGMOL, said it was “appalled” at the “unjustified and abhorrent” abuse but a much starker warning came from lower down the chain. Responding to the video of Taylor being abused by the Roma fans, the charity Ref Support UK said: “This is so worrying to see. [Managers’] comments and players’ behaviour encourage this and it is on a worrying rise where a serious incident or murder is just around the corner.” An indication of the danger of that has been clear this season. The FA have this year started a trial of giving referees body cameras in four adult grassroots leagues in England. The initiative is designed to improve behaviour and respect from players and spectators towards officials, but it also represents a damning indictment of how vulnerable referees are to physical abuse. A survey by the BBC of almost 1,000 members of the Referees’ Association found that more than 30 per cent said they had come in for physical abuse from spectators. A similar number said they had been threatened with violence against them or a loved one. The Premier League said they were “shocked” at the “unacceptable” abuse Taylor and his family faced – but the English top flight can only be too aware of the levels of referee abuse in its own competition. The abuse of officials has been commonplace in the top flight for years and the problem is not getting any better. Just a few weeks ago, Jurgen Klopp celebrated in the face of assistant referee John Brooks as Liverpool scored a late winner against Tottenham, and was banned for two games following comments he made about referee Paul Tierney. In response, Ref Support UK said Klopp’s behaviour was “disgraceful” and accused the League Managers Association of “silence” on the issue. “They appear to do nothing to address the behaviour of their members whose actions are mimicked at grassroots level by managers and spectators where children are refereeing and have to deal with this replicated behaviour,” a statement said. Referees are an integral part of the game but they will continue to face abuse until action is taken at the top, or else football faces an existential threat. Mourinho admitting some responsibility for what Taylor and his family suffered would be a start to addressing it. Read More English referee Anthony Taylor harassed by Roma fans at airport after Europa League final Uefa awaits reports following Jose Mourinho’s rant at referee Anthony Taylor Jose Mourinho confronts English referee in car park after Europa League final defeat Jose Mourinho charged over criticism of referee Anthony Taylor Premier League ‘appalled’ by abuse of referee Anthony Taylor at airport Anthony Taylor harassed by Roma fans at airport after Europa League final

With four teams tied for second position in the NWSL, week 10 presents another opportunity to shake up at the top of the table.The NWSL enters the month of June with just three points separating the sixth-place North Carolina Courage and NJ/NY Gotham FC at the top of the table. Week 9 produced t...

Jose Mourinho has been charged by UEFA over criticism of referee Anthony Taylor in the wake of Roma’s Europa League final defeat to Sevilla in Budapest on Wednesday. Subsequent video footage of Taylor being accosted by angry fans at the airport has been condemned by the Premier League, which said it was “shocked and appalled” by the abuse suffered by the official. Mourinho’s charge for using insulting/abusive language towards a match official is one of a number of charges levelled against both clubs after a stormy final that yielded 13 yellow cards. Mourinho criticised Taylor in his post-match press conference, 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”. In the incident at the airport, clips on Twitter show a chair and drinks being thrown in the direction of Taylor and his group as they make their way through a gathering of Roma fans. A Premier League spokesperson said: “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.” The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said in a statement on Thursday evening: “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.” 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. The game was littered with delays, with a total of 25 minutes’ stoppage time added to the 120 minutes of playing time. UEFA has also charged both clubs with throwing of objects, lighting of fireworks, and the improper conduct of the team. In addition, Roma have been charged with crowd disturbances and acts of damage. West Ham boss David Moyes condemned the treatment of Taylor as he prepares his side for Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in Prague. “I didn’t see the game so I can’t comment on the game itself or the officiating,” Moyes said. “All referees have a really difficult job and shouldn’t be put through any difficult situations, which I heard about this morning. That’s not correct.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Manchester City’s injury problems ease ahead of FA Cup final Pep Guardiola eases fitness concerns over Man City players ahead of FA Cup final Magic Weekend set to return in 2024 after plans to scrap format are overturned

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day owned up to a mistake he made in preparation for Michigan.Ohio State is riding a two-game losing streak heading into 2023, but we did see a different Buckeyes team under Ryan Day vs. Georgia after getting pushed around by arch rival Michigan.Day appeared on the...

Treble-chasing Manchester City could be close to full strength as they take on arch-rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday. The champions have had fitness concerns in the build-up to the Wembley showpiece. Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji all missed last weekend’s final Premier League game of the season at Brentford for a variety of reasons. Training for the quartet was also curtailed as City opted not to take risks ahead of what is a momentous period in the club’s history with the Champions League final to follow next week. Manager Pep Guardiola says the whole squad is now looking fit and healthy. He said: “They’ve trained well in the last two training sessions. They are all of them, more or less, fine.” They are all of them, more or less, fine Pep Guardiola One member of City’s first-choice XI who will not start, however, is goalkeeper Ederson. Back-up Stefan Ortega has featured in all domestic cup fixtures this season and, after also playing in two of the last three Premier League games, will be given the nod at Wembley. “Stefan is going to play,” said Guardiola of the German, who has not conceded a goal in the FA Cup this term. “I have always been like that in the FA Cup. The keeper who has played in the FA Cup is going to play in the FA Cup (final).” Guardiola is preparing for a tough contest against a United side who will not be short of incentives at Wembley. As well the usual cup final and derby motivations, United are also bidding to prevent City emulating their so far unique achievement of winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season. City thrashed United 6-3 early in their manager Erik ten Hag’s reign back in October but Guardiola feels they are a considerably better side now. He said: “A final is special for itself but what United have been doing in the last four, five, six months – they are a completely different team from the beginning of the season when we faced them here. “I have the feeling that the team has improved from the beginning of the season – the patterns are more clear and the quality they have.” Guardiola insists he is taking the fixture in isolation and not yet thinking about it in the context of a potentially glorious treble. He said: “It would be good for us if we think about what we have to do to win one game. “We have to analyse the strength of our opponent and see the weaknesses they have. The focus is, it’s a football game, that’s the most important thing. “What’s (said) outside is normal, we cannot control it, but the last two games of the season we have to do what we have to do on the pitch to win the game.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Roma boss Jose Mourinho charged by UEFA over criticism of referee Anthony Taylor Pep Guardiola eases fitness concerns over Man City players ahead of FA Cup final Magic Weekend set to return in 2024 after plans to scrap format are overturned

Pep Guardiola has eased concerns over the fitness of a number of key Manchester City players ahead of the FA Cup final against Manchester United on Saturday. Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji all missed the champions’ final Premier League game of the season at Brentford last week. Those players have all since returned to training and are expected to come back into contention for both the Wembley showpiece and next weekend’s Champions League final in Istanbul. City manager Guardiola said: “They’ve trained well in the last two training sessions. They are all of them, more or less, fine.” Guardiola has also confirmed second-choice goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will start at Wembley, in keeping with his usual policy for domestic cup fixtures. The German, who started two of the last three Premier League games, has not yet conceded in the FA Cup this season. Guardiola said: “Stefan is going to play. I have always been like that in the FA Cup. The keeper who has played in the FA Cup is going to play in the FA Cup (final).” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Barcelona visit Celta Vigo in La Liga on Sunday. Preview includes team news, predicted lineups, how to watch on television and live stream and more.

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The Manchester derby will have an added twist to it on Saturday when Manchester United and Manchester City will face-off in the FA Cup Final. The two teams have never met in the FA Cup final in its 161 year history.Just a couple of weeks after clinching their third straight English Premier Leagu...