Former Premier League and FIFA-listed referee Mark Halsey has suggested that Jose Mourinho should be issued a six-game ban for his comments and actions in the aftermath of Roma’s loss to Sevilla on penalties in the Europa League final on Wednesday night.
Halsey also believes that Roma and Sevilla should be handed points deductions at the beginning of the group stages of their respective European campaigns next season after a final which became ‘impossible’ to officiate.
So unprofessional were the scenes on the touchline on Wednesday night, that Halsey compared the occasion to a feisty Sunday League encounter.
Tempers flared on the pitch at the Puskas Arena, leading referee Anthony Taylor to dish out 16 bookings on the night, although his difficult trip to Hungary did not end there.
Roma coach Jose Mourinho had called Taylor a “f***ing disgrace” while berating him in the stadium’s car park.
On Thursday, Taylor, along with members of his family, were spotted by Roma fans at the airport in Budapest, who hurled vicious abuse and projectiles at the official as he made his way back to the UK.
Addressing the incident in the Sun on Friday morning, compatriot Halsey wrote: “I have never seen that sort of appalling behaviour from a manager towards an official. As much as football people like Mourinho, you cannot chase officials after a match. What message do his words and actions send to everyone watching around the world?
“Fourth official Michael Oliver had an impossible job due to the level of protests and appeals from both sides during an ugly 120 minutes.
“It reminded me of a Sunday league football match and the technical area became unmanageable. Both sides lost discipline and there were 16 yellow cards but the punishments were all deserved.”
Halsey believes that strong punishments for Mourinho individually, as well as for both teams after their roles in Wednesday night’s chaos, are completely necessary to deter other sides from acting similarly in the future.
He explained: “I would deduct Sevilla and Roma three points from their next European campaigns with another three suspended for the rest of the group stage. And I would also ban Mourinho, wherever he goes, for six games because of his unacceptable conduct.”