Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca has been handed a nine-month ban by the French Professional Football League (FLP) following an incident with referee Benoit Millot during a 2-1 win over Brest in Ligue 1.
The FLP confirmed on Wednesday that Fonseca is prohibited from accessing the team bench, officials’ dressing rooms, or participating in any official match-related activities until November 30.
The incident occurred when Fonseca, upset about a potential penalty call against his team, was shown a red card in stoppage time.
He then approached the referee and got too close, prompting Lyon’s captain, Corentin Tolisso, to intervene and push him away. Fonseca later attempted to confront the referee again but was stopped by players.
The Portuguese coach later apologized, saying, “I just want to say that I’m sorry for what I did. I shouldn’t have done it. Sometimes we do things that are not right. I’m sorry.”
