Premier League referee Anthony Taylor has criticized the intense scrutiny and “expectation of perfection” placed on match officials, revealing that his family no longer attends his games because of the abuse he receives.
In an interview with BBC Sport, Taylor confirmed the worst incident was being targeted by Roma fans at Budapest Airport with his family after the 2023 Europa League final.
He believes the confrontation with then-Roma manager Jose Mourinho following the game influenced the abusive crowd.
Taylor argued that football’s ‘win-at-all-costs’ culture and the prevalence of “malicious conspiracy theories” online create a toxic environment that harms the mental health of referees.
He also stated that the introduction of VAR has exacerbated the problem by creating “unrealistic expectations” for decision-making perfection that simply “doesn’t exist.”
Despite the challenges, Taylor, a top-level official for nearly 15 years, affirmed that being a Premier League referee is “one of the best jobs in the world.”
