Anthony Taylor was moved out of the firing line this weekend after getting death threats on social media during the Bournemouth-Chelsea match last Saturday.
Instead, he will be the fourth official for the Southampton-Ipswich match on Saturday and the Brighton-Nottingham Forest game on Sunday. That means he’ll probably get pelted by managers and backstage personnel rather than players.
Taylor is accustomed to abuse, both in person and online. Apparently, thousands of individuals with nothing better to do signed a petition requesting for Taylor to be ‘punished’ and the game to be replayed following the English referee’s performance in the Euro 2024 quarter-final match between Germany and Spain, which the hosts rightly lost.
And, of course, Jose Mourinho approached Taylor in a car park after his dreadful Roma team was defeated on penalties by Sevilla in the 2023 Europa League final. Taylor later faced verbal and physical assault at Budapest Airport.
However, just because Taylor is used to idiotic, threatening behavior does not make it any less painful. The fact that it is mostly from anonymous empty-headed people with painfully miserable lives does not make it any less painful.
And if Taylor and the Professional Game Match Officials Board are waiting on social media businesses to take action, they are living in a dream world. It could have sent a bold statement if Taylor, a perfectly capable referee, had been in charge of a high-profile match this weekend.
However, it is logical that he should be allowed some relief, and Taylor and his colleagues should benefit from assistance from individuals who have experienced horrific online harassment. The players.
How can they help? First and foremost, avoid committing tiny crimes that will result in a booking. Second, and more importantly, don’t behave out with the aim of getting someone booked, and don’t yell for them to be booked.
If the game were not so rife with con-artistry, we would not see the explosion of yellow cards that peaked when Taylor brandished 14 during Chelsea’s 1-0 victory against Bournemouth. Third, and most crucially, athletes might utilize their platforms – television, conventional media, and social media – to support referees, reminding spectators that the game would not be possible without them.
To his credit, Declan Rice was not excessively harsh of Chris Kavanagh following the contentious second yellow card he received at the Emirates during Arsenal’s game against Brighton at the end of last month.
Taylor is a referee who is well-respected by players, but they are probably too afraid to mention it to online fools. They shouldn’t be. When it comes to combating abuse, both players and officials should work together.
