By Gwurld4026 
Lyon’s Paulo Fonseca Banned After Confrontation with Referee
Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca has been handed a nine-month suspension following a heated confrontation with referee Benoît Millot during a Ligue 1 match against Brest. The incident occurred on March 3, 2025, during stoppage time when Fonseca reacted angrily after Millot dismissed a potential penalty for Brest.
Already on a yellow card, Fonseca was shown a straight red and subsequently confronted Millot, leading to a physical altercation that required intervention from Lyon’s players.
The French Professional Football League (LFP) deemed Fonseca’s actions as “particularly intimidating,” resulting in a ban from all official functions until November 30, 2025. This includes restrictions from accessing the touchline, officials’ dressing rooms, players’ dressing rooms, the pitch, and the tunnel during matches.
Lyon has expressed strong disapproval of the severity of the sanction, labeling it as “extremely severe and unprecedented.” The club plans to explore all possible avenues for appeal. Fonseca has also issued a letter of apology to French arbitration authorities, attributing his behavior to the intense nature of the match.