Lyon Sticks with Fonseca Despite Nine-Month Suspension
The owner and president of French football club Lyon, American John Textor, stood by Portuguese manager Paulo Fonseca despite his nine-month suspension until the end of November due to his violent reaction toward the referee during his team’s match against Brest (2-1) on Sunday in Ligue 1.
Textor wrote on his Instagram account: “Happy birthday, Paulo! I’m with you today and always. You made a mistake… your apologies were sincere. And your punishment is clearly very harsh. You are the right man for Lyon, and we will continue together.”
Fonseca, who celebrated his 52nd birthday on Wednesday, did not enjoy the occasion properly after the French Football League’s disciplinary committee suspended him until November 30 due to his reaction toward the referee in the match against Brest.
The incident occurred in the final moments of the heated match when Fonseca was sent off for protesting.
In the seventh minute of stoppage time, as referee Bastien Mieu was reviewing the potential penalty for Brest via VAR, Fonseca seemed frustrated by the four minutes of added time, feeling it was excessive.
Fonseca lost his temper after receiving a red card and rushed toward the referee, where a slight head clash occurred. He then hurled insults, expressing his anger before players intervened to pull him away.
Fonseca, who took over the coaching role at Lyon on January 31, quickly attempted to make amends after the match, saying: “I want to apologize for this behavior. I shouldn’t have done it this way. That’s the truth.”
Fonseca is currently in the Romanian capital where Lyon will face FC Bucharest on Thursday evening in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16.
The suspension does not currently apply to UEFA competitions (UEFA).
In a statement released on Wednesday evening, Lyon described the punishment as excessive, adding that they are “considering all possible appeals.”
