Paulo Fonseca, the manager of Olympique Lyonnais, was given a nine-month football suspension for his irate outburst against referee Benoit Millot during Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Brest. In the last moments of the game, Fonseca became enraged with the referee and was sent off for a startling outburst, even though Lyon won the Ligue 1 encounter between the two teams.
Fonseca has been given a nine-month suspension for his acts, and until November 30th, he will not be allowed to use the bench, the officials’ locker rooms, or take part in any official activities prior to, during, or following games. The club will have to play without their manager on the pitch for several months into the 2025–2026 season as a result of this extraordinary penalty. It all came down to the referee’s decision.
Fonseca’s Clash With Millot
It occurred after Millot awarded a penalty to Brest
When Millot gave Brest a penalty in the final moments of the match because of a handball, it appeared as though Lyon would give up a share of the points after rallying from behind to take a 2-1 lead. Fonseca, who had previously been connected to West Ham United, angrily confronted the referee and was given a red card for his troubles even after the judgement was overturned following a VAR check. Not content to stop there, he seemed to thrust his head into the official’s, and several of his own players pulled him away.
Meanwhile let’s check in on Paulo Fonseca over in France pic.twitter.com/pSMhYd6sDQ
— Matteo Bonetti (@Bonetti) March 2, 2025
Speaking after the occurrence, Fonseca expressed regret for his behaviour and admitted that his reaction was incorrect. Quotations from his interview with DAZN were distributed by ESPN.
“I simply want to apologise for what I did. I shouldn’t do it. It’s possible that we make mistakes. I apologise.
Lyon has a remote possibility of qualifying for the Champions League this season with their current sixth-place finish in Ligue 1. But now they’ll have to do it without their manager.
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