Because he came too close to the referee and threatened him, Olympique Lyon’s coach Paulo Fonseca now has a problem. He probably imagined his birthday differently.
Until September 15, Fonseca is banned to access the changing room of his team on match days. Even worse: he must not be on the sidelines as a coach of Lyon by November 30th, the disciplinary commission of the French Football League (LFP) decided. This is a pretty unsightly story for a trainer.
The disciplinary commission announced the judgment on Wednesday. It was the 52nd birthday of the Portuguese Fonseca, who has not yet worked for five weeks for “OL”. He probably imagined the day differently.
Nose tip touched nose tip – how the lock came about
The trouble for Fonseca, the coach of Olympique Lyon, started on Sunday. In the Ligue-1 game against Stade Brest, the stoppage time had already started when referee Benoit Millot whistled a penalty against Lyon. The VAR – he asked Millot on the edge of the field, where he should look at the scene again in peace. The pictures convinced Millot, he took back the penalty. But you only learned that later.
When he returned to the field, the coach Fonseca stood in his way. He scolded, he screamed – and he came closer to the referee. Then they stood, two men who only connected the color of their outfits. Millot and Fonseca wore black. So they stood opposite each other, nasal tip touched. But only one had come with a peaceful intention.
In the end, Fonseca saw the red card. Corentin Tolisso, formerly under contract with Bayern, now captain of Lyon, pressed his coach away. Maybe he prevented worse.
By the way, the game won Olympique 2-1, but later hardly anyone spoke about that.
Referee Millot: “Hard to imagine”
Fonseca have him “intimidate” physically “ want to want the referee Millot of the newspaper “L’Equipe” that he also indicated a blow, “A head kick. Such an aggressive attitude is hardly imaginable with a professional trainer.” Fonseca later apologized to the “DAZN” television station in an interview. He said: “I shouldn’t have done that, that’s true.”
During the game in Bucharest, the coach Fonseca can be a coach
Since Fonseca took over the coaching position in Lyon on the last day in January, the club has won three out of five league games. He has to wait many months for his sixth Ligue-1 game as a coach of “Ol”. Would the club wait so long?
Lots of time to worry about the judgment and the consequences does not have him or the club managers. On Thursday evening, Lyon competes in the round of 16 of the Europa League at FCSB Bucharest in Romania. Fonseca will then be responsible. The lock does not apply to UEFA competitions.