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3rd March 2025
03:50pm GMT
Paulo Fonseca, the manager of Lyon, could be handed a huge seven-month ban after confronting a referee.
Fonesca, who only took charge of the French giants at the end of January, lost his cool during his side's dramatic 2-1 win at home to Brest in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
The Lyon boss was furious after referee Benoit Millot was told by VAR to review a potential handball which could've resulted in a last-minute penalty for the away side.
Fonseca shouted in the referee's face, going head-to-head with the referee an a moment that shocked fans.
His own midfielder, Corentin Tolisso, stepped in to separate the pair before Millot brandished a red card in Fonseca's direction and did not award the penalty.
Despite the Portuguese coach apologising for his actions post match, he is likely to receive a lengthy ban.
RMC Sport report, that Fonseca's outburst may fall under the LFP's Article 8 regarding 'intimidating or threatening behaviour'.
Anyone found guilty of such behaviour towards an official faces a seven-month ban.
Last week, Marseille president Pablo Longoria slammed the refereeing in Ligue 1, repeatedly allegedly that the league was 'truly corrupt'. Longoria received a 15-game suspension.
Fonseca admitted his behaviour was wrong and told DAZN: "I apologise for this gesture. I shouldn't do that. Football makes us do bad gestures. The match was very difficult. Playing against Brest is always difficult, they are a physical team, they defended a lot. These are very important points."
Lyon captain Alexandre Lacazette, who scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute to send Lyon into the European places, said: "It's part of football. I think he'll regret this gesture, but we'll see what the disciplinary committee says. It's tension. There are a lot of questionable choices. When you live the match, sometimes you can do things. We're all behind the coach."
Millot himself gave an interview to L'Equipe following the incident where he said: "He (Fonseca) rushed toward me with an intimidating attitude and I decided to send him off directly. There was, it seems, a slight contact with the nose. [It was] a particularly intimidating, aggressive attitude, which one can hardly imagine from a professional coach."
