OylmpiqueLyon manager Paulo Fonseca handed nine-month ban for angrily confronting referee

Olympique Lyon Manager Paulo Fonseca Handed Nine-Month Ban for Angrily Confronting Referee

Paulo Fonseca, the head coach of French soccer team Olympique Lyonnais, has been given a nine-month suspension after confronting a referee – a sanction the club described as “severe” and “unprecedented.”

Fonseca went face-to-face with referee Benoit Millot at the end of Lyon’s 2-1 victory against Brest on Sunday, shouting at the official as he was shown a red card before being ushered away by his players.

On Wednesday, France’s Professional Football League (LFP) announced that Fonseca would be banned from accessing the bench, the officials’ locker room, and all official functions before, during, and after matches until November 30.

It also said that he would be unable to access the players’ locker rooms, the pitch, the stadium tunnel, and all corridors leading to these areas until September 15.

The ban, however, does not apply to European fixtures, according to the Associated Press, meaning that Fonseca can take charge of the squad on Thursday when Lyon plays Romanian side FCSB in the Europa League knockout stages.

In a YouTube video explaining the incident, Ligue 1 said that Millot had shown “remarkable” composure in dealing with Fonseca’s “violent behavior,” while the French refereeing union (SAFE) described head contact with a match official as an “act of brutality.”

The Portuguese manager’s angry reaction came as Millot reviewed a potential penalty for Brest in stoppage time, which was ultimately not awarded. Fonseca later apologized for his actions in his post-match press conference.

Last week, SAFE said that its members reserved the right to resign if they or their loved ones were placed in danger due to abuse directed at officials.

“Olympique Lyonnais acknowledges the extreme severity of the unprecedented sanction and the unusual speed with which the disciplinary committee dealt with Paulo Fonseca,” the club said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The club deplores the fact that its coach was not judged solely on his actions, an emotional reaction, with no obvious intention of physically attacking the referee.”