Lyon have a big decision to make after their manager was handed a huge sanction that will keep him from the dugout for nine months.
Paulo Fonseca was appointed as the manager of Lyon in January after a disappointing period on charge of AC Milan. He now faces a touchline ban until the end of November for aggressively confronting referee Benoit Millot during Sunday’s game against Brest.
Lyon sit in sixth place in the Ligue 1 table thanks to three wins in Fonseca’s first five matches but must now choose a course of action with their new manager sidelined.
Why has Paulo Fonseca been banned for nine months?
Fonseca was shown a red card when Millot was sent to the VAR screen to review a decision to award a penalty to Brest. He then squared up to the referee and screamed in his face.
“I didn’t even have time to announce the final decision, which turned out to be not awarding a penalty,” Millot told L’Equipe.
The Lyon boss will be unable to access the bench and officials’ dressing rooms until the end of November as well as being barred from performing any official functions as manager before, during or after matches.
His team’s dressing room, the pitch and the tunnel will also be out of bounds for Fonseca until the middle of September.
“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,” explained Ligue de Football Professionel (LFP) disciplinary committee president Sebastian Deneux.
“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.”
Fonseca apologised after Lyon’s win and club officials have indicated their intention to appeal against the extent of the ban, but French football’s negative relationship with its referees has intensified to such a degree that a serious message had to be sent.
The Portuguese manager spent the first half of the season at San Siro before he was sacked by Milan. He managed extensively in Portugal before a successful spell with Shakhtar Donetsk and subsequent spells with Roma and Lille.
His current and future employment prospects have taken a hit because of his aggression with Millot at the weekend.
Lyon take on FCSB in Bucharest in the Europa League Round of 16 today before visiting Nice without their manager in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
