Anthony Taylor, an English professional football referee, and his family were involved in a terrifying incident at Budapest airport where they were confronted by angry Roma fans. The incident occurred after a defeat by Sevilla in the Europa League Final on 31 May. Taylor’s wife, Anne-Marie, was also present during the attack. Not much is known about Anne-Marie except that she is 42-years-old and lives with her husband, a former prison guard, in Altrincham, Manchester. The couple keeps their family life private and shares very little information on their children, although recent footage suggests they have a daughter. The family has a cockapoo named Monty.
The incident at the airport occurred after a heated match that ended in a fiery Jose Mourinho outburst. A tempestuous win on penalties and heated comments by Mourinho who branded Taylor “f***ing disgrace” was the cause for the angry fans confronting Taylor and his family. Roma fans were angry with Taylor after a total of 13 yellow cards were issued to players including one to Mourinho. During the incident, roughly 100 angry football fans cornered Taylor and his family, and various items were thrown, including a chair. Airport security staff attempted to keep a barrier to protect Taylor and his family during the chaotic scene.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the professional body responsible for UK refereeing, called the incident both “unjustified and abhorrent.” In a statement, PGMOL said, “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.”
Although Taylor appeared visibly shaken during the airport ordeal, he looked much calmer as he was spotted with his wife enjoying the sunshine after the incident.