The Europa League final between Sevilla and Roma, where the former won on penalties, has received a lot of attention. Mostly because Roma coach José Mourinho scolded referee Anthony Taylor first during the game and then sought him out in the garage with a bucket of water afterwards. The next day, cellphone videos showed the top judge and his family being harassed and mocked at the airport. – It is clear that fans find it easy to agree with their coaches, especially when it comes to Mourinho. He is a master at getting people on board and mobilizing the fans around the clubs he coaches. When he has also won trophies for Rome and received a high star there, and then the referees hang out the way he does, it is easy for frustrated fans to throw themselves, says news’s football writer Thore Haugstad. HEATED: José Mourinho had to be restrained on the sidelines in the Europa League final. Photo: MARTON MONUS / Reuters – I strongly doubt that Taylor would have been treated like this if Mourinho and the staff had not focused so much on the decisions, he adds. On Friday, both the British Referees Association and the Premier League published statements. “We are shocked and appalled by the unacceptable harassment directed at Anthony Taylor and his family as they traveled back from the Europa League final. No one should have to be subjected to such unforgivable behavior as they had to yesterday. Anthony is one of our most experienced and meritorious referees and we fully support him and his family,” the Premier League said. Must be punished more severely Ola Hobber Nilsen has for several years been the top referee in the Eliteserien, in addition to having refereed several football matches at international level. He believes there is a clear connection between Mourinho’s behavior and the events following the match. TOP REFEREE: Ola Hobber Nilsen has been a referee for a number of years, and sees a clear connection between the behavior of coaches and fans. Photo: Svein Ove Ekornesvåg / NTB – The connection is obvious. A coach’s behavior often reflects how the players behave, which in turn is related to how the fans behave. The supporters saw how Mourinho and the players behaved against Anthony Taylor. What do they do when they meet Taylor as a private person? Yes, then you just have to do as the players and coaches do, says Nilsen to news. Nilsen emphasizes that the consequences of this also go beyond the youngest who watch and learn from the older ones. – Young people often have role models in the light of being a good player who is good at dribbling or a coach who is tactically good. So one tends to think that all the qualities that these role models possess are good. One might think that this type of behavior towards the referee is part of being a good player, or a good coach, says Nilsen. He says that the problem is very extensive, but believes that a change in the regulations can help to avoid such incidents in the future. SURROUNDED: Nilsen is no stranger to being the extent of players protesting the decision. Photo: Christoffer Andersen / NTB – It is quite tough as an international referee to be the one who has to deal with Mourinho alone. I would guess a good measure could be to reward referees who take responsibility and enforce this, something FIFA and UEFA have not done in the past. – I also think we would have seen less of it if it had sporting consequences. For example, that a player must be taken off the pitch if the coach receives a red card and fails to behave. But it would have been highly dramatic, says a laughing Nilsen. He adds: – First of all, it is about integration and about regulations. Such incidents should have clearer consequences and be punished more severely. Mirrored by the young YOU MUST TAKE HOLD: Morten André Stokke believes a change of attitude is needed towards broad and top referees. Photo: Private “We are struggling with referee recruitment”, stated football president Lise Klaveness to news earlier this week. Morten André Stokke is the leader of the Norwegian Breddedommerforening, and has been a referee himself for over 35 years. As a general judge, he has seen several examples of young people who reflect “adult” attitudes. – There is no doubt that a change of attitude is needed from the top, because someone is responsible here. When you get word that 14-year-old judges give up because of incitement, then it becomes difficult to recruit new judges, says Stokke. He believes that the Norwegian Football Association should employ people to deal with such incidents, who have full responsibility for inciting referees. Nevertheless, he points out that everything originates from the “top team”, and especially from the very biggest international leagues. – The greatest coaches such as Pep, Mourinho and Klopp should be punished more severely when they go out against the referees like this. I think FIFA and UEFA should be even more merciless in those decisions and set a clear example, says Stokke – Coordinated strategy Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp was fined and banned in the last home game of the season after cheering right in the face of the fourth official and then expressed his clear displeasure with referee Paul Tierney after the game against Tottenham in April. WAS BANNED: Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp was banned for one match and fined after he made it clear what he thought of Premier League referee Paul Tierney. Photo: Reuters And Klopp, Fulham’s Marco Silva, Tottenham’s Cristian Stellini and former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch are just some of the managers who have seen the red card. – Why do you think so many high-profile managers are as outspoken as they are? – A good part of it is probably anger, frustration and adrenaline. They are winners under enormous pressure. But I also think a good number hope that it can pay off to put pressure on judges. Nobody wants to be the “nice” team that just accepts decisions against them. If we go back to Mourinho, he has constantly asked his players to protest regularly. Then it’s not just anger and frustration; it is a coordinated strategy, says Haugstad. ENGAGED: Pep Guardiola has largely kept himself in check this season but picked up a yellow card during the meeting with Nottingham Forest in February. Photo: Reuters Haugstad points out that the referees must become more consistent if it is to be able to change the coaches’ behaviour. – Referees have now received yellow and red cards that they can give coaches, and they can use this earlier in matches. There is a principle that only the captain can speak to the referee, and that should be followed in a stricter way, says the football writer. – What are the consequences of role models treating others disrespectfully? – In the worst case, it can become a normal and accepted part of being a coach. If things go in this direction, we will soon be lucky if there are judges again, says Haugstad.
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