Lyon Coach Fonseca Banned for Nine Months Over Referee Clash

Lyon Coach Fonseca Banned for Nine Months Following Referee Incident

March 7, 2025

Paulo Fonseca, aged 52, has been handed a nine-month suspension from football after an altercation with referee Benoit Millot during Lyon's 2-1 victory over Brest in Ligue 1 last Sunday.

PARIS, FRANCE: Olympique Lyon's coach, Paulo Fonseca, has been banned from football for nine months after physically confronting referee Benoit Millot during a Ligue 1 match. The incident occurred during Lyon's 2-1 win over Brest last Sunday.

The Portuguese coach, who is 52 years old, was visibly frustrated with Millot after the referee consulted the VAR system to review a penalty claim by Brest. In the heated exchange, Fonseca appeared to attempt to headbutt the referee before aggressively confronting him as Millot showed a red card. Despite the controversy, no penalty was awarded, and Lyon secured all three points, marking Fonseca's fifth win as head coach of the team.

The French Football League (FLP) confirmed the suspension on Wednesday, stating that Fonseca would not be allowed to sit on the sidelines until November 30. Furthermore, the coach will be banned from entering Lyon's locker rooms before and after competitive matches until September 15.

Sebastien Deneux, president of the disciplinary committee, addressed the severity of the actions: "Fonseca is an experienced Ligue 1 coach, knowledgeable in many areas. However, his behavior has been completely unacceptable. The committee has found him guilty of inappropriate actions towards the referee, including verbal abuse and an attempted headbutt. He has been dismissed."

Fonseca, who was dismissed by AC Milan earlier this season, publicly apologized for his actions, stating, "I deeply regret my actions and should not have behaved in such a manner."

This ban comes just one week after the president of Marseille, Pablo Longoria, was handed a 15-match suspension for alleging that French referees were biased, following his team's 3-0 defeat to Auxerre. In Ligue 2, Bastia's coach Benoit Tavenot was banned for 12 matches for a similar incident.