Top-flight manager receives nine-month ban after squaring up to referee

It is one of the lengthiest bans to ever be handed out

Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca has been handed a nine-month ban after fiercely confronting a referee and trying to 'headbutt' him.

Fonseca was shown a straight red card in his side's game against Brest after he reacted furiously to referee Benoit Millot being called over to the monitor by VAR.

He was issued the red card for Dissent as his side went on to win 2-1 in his fifth game in the job.

The Portuguese screamed in Millot's face and pressed his head towards his. The referee came away saying he felt Fonseca had been 'intimidating' and that it was an 'attempted headbutt'.

Fonseca apologised after the confrontation, admitting it was the 'wrong thing to do' but he has not escaped the lengthy ban.

The LFP's - the governing body for France's top two divisions - ruling states he is banned until November 30 and cannot even enter the dressing room until September 15.

Fonseca said: "First of all, I would like to present my most sincere apologies to referee Benoit Millot and his team for my behaviour on Sunday.

"I take full responsibility for my mistake without wanting to invent any excuse for this thoughtless gesture.

"I regret having had an attitude contrary to what my principles of life are. I assure you that despite the aggressiveness with which I spoke to Mr. Millot, there was never any other intention than to wrongly express my discontent. I would also like to apologise to the referees' committee and to Ligue 1."

He also offered to do community service, meeting with amateur referee associations.

Meanwhile, Lyon are contemplating his future at the club despite only giving him the job on January 31.

After the incident Millot told French newspaper L'Equipe: "He jumped at me with an intimidating attitude, and I decided to send him off directly. It continued to spiral out of control.

"He had an even more intense attitude, attempting to deliver a blow, in fact. A head-butt. I didn’t even have time to announce the final decision, which turned out to be not awarding a penalty. There seemed to be a slight contact of the nose, to be precise."