Roma coach Jose Mourinho has begun a four-match ban for calling referee Anthony Taylor an "f****** disgrace" as he watched his side beat Tiraspol Police from the press box.
Mourinho was suspended for four matches by UEFA after being found guilty of "insulting comments" towards Taylor following Roma's Europa League final defeat to Sevilla last season. Footage showed Mourinho confronting Taylor in the car park, where he called him "a shame", while the official was also hunted down by a group of angry Roma fans at Budapest airport.
Due to the ban, Mourinho was not allowed on the touchline in four of Roma's first six matches in the Europa League group stage this season, and he was spotted watching the match from the home stands with technical coach Giovanni Cerra.
Speaking before the match, Mourinho admitted that his ban had "problems". “My suspension was obviously a problem because I couldn't communicate with the team,” he said. “We tried to reduce the problem by coordinating well in training.
Today's training session was very active. “I can't communicate with the team during the game, so we'll see where the Sheriff allows me to sit during the game. I believe in my team and my employees and that will lead us to success. “I can't talk to the team, but from my seat, I will be able to celebrate the goal.
"And he was able to celebrate victory as Roma beat Sheriff 2-1 thanks to an own goal from Gaby Kiki and a second-half winner from Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku. However, Mourinho was not satisfied with Roma's overall performance, admitting they only took the lead thanks to Kiki's "miraculous" own goal just before halftime.
“I didn't like the first half; we were too slow and not aggressive,” he said after the match. “We did not play as prepared; we did not control the match. The first goal was a miracle; we did nothing to deserve the advantage. We still lacked aggression but controlled the match. We deserved to win that's the most important thing.
" The Serie A team also suffered injuries, with midfielder Renato Sanches having to leave the field in the first half due to muscle problems. “Unfortunately, it's Sanches; he's still at risk (of injury), and that's confusing,” Mourinho added.
"Bayern Munich couldn't understand him, PSG couldn't understand him, and now we're also struggling to understand him. He's a great player; he needs to be on the field; he has three days off and feels ready to play one more match." 45 minutes today. However, he felt a slight sting.
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