Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca has been hit with a huge nine-month suspension after squaring up to a Ligue 1 referee in a furious outburst. He was shown a red card for dissent during his side’s 2-1 win over Brest on March 2, before pushing his face into that of match official Benoit Millot, which was considered an attempted headbutt.
He later admitted that it was the “wrong thing to do” but the French professional league (LFP) have since handed down their punishment, which includes the Portuguese coach unable to enter the changing room before, during or after matches until September 15. He has been banned from the touchline until November 30.
Fonseca was protesting the VAR review of a potential penalty for Brest, which was not awarded, and awarded a red card for his “intimidating attitude”.
“He jumped at me with an intimidating attitude, and I decided to send him off directly. It continued to spiral out of control,” Millot told French outlet L’Equipe.
“He had an even more intense attitude, attempting to deliver a blow, in fact. A headbutt. I didn’t even have time to announce the final decision, which turned out to be not awarding a penalty. There seemed to be a slight contact of the nose, to be precise.”
Sebastien Deneux, president of the disciplinary committee, explained why a nine-month ban was handed down to Fonseca: “The commission deplores that once again, a major player in Ligue 1 has adopted such behaviour and renounced a requirement and an ambition of responsibility. Mr Fonseca is a Ligue 1 coach. He is above all an educator. It goes without saying that this attitude is strictly incompatible with these functions.
“The committee found that Mr Fonseca’s attitude, throwing himself towards the referee, yelling at him, to the point that they found themselves head to head, is an attitude characteristic of intimidating and threatening behaviour.
“The committee therefore sanctions Mr Fonseca with a suspension from the touchline and referee’s locker room until 30 November 2025. Because it also finds that this is a serious misconduct, this sanction will also cover access to his own locker room before, during and after the match until 15 September 2025.”
Fonseca apologised for his outburst in a press conference, but the LFP are able to issue lengthy bans in accordance with their regulations, with Marseille president Pablo Longoria recently handed a 15-game suspension.
French referees threatened to go on strike after a match official faced an “outpour of hate” following Longoria’s accusations of corruption, reportedly objecting to the appointment of official Jeremy Stinat for their league match against Auxerre.
