Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca facing seven-month ban for what he did to referee in shocking Ligue 1 incident

Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca is facing a potential seven-month ban for his shocking "gesture" towards referee Benoit Millot during Sunday's Ligue 1 clash against Brest.

A brace from former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette was enough to seal all three points for Lyon, who currently sit sixth in the Ligue 1 table after their latest 2-1 win.

But the biggest talking point from Sunday's game at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais was an unsavoury incident involving Paulo Fonseca and referee Benoit Millot.

After being booked earlier in the match, Fonseca was handed a late red card for dissent, a decision that infuriated the former Shakhtar Donetsk, Roma and Lille manager.

In fact, after seeing red, Fonseca squared up to Millot and screamed in his face as a number of Lyon players tried to intervene. You can footage of that shocking incident below.

As per the league's rules, Fonseca could face a lengthy ban as his aggressive outburst falls under LFP’s Article 8 regarding intimidating or threatening behaviour.

French publication RMC Sport stated: “The LFP disciplinary committee must decide this Monday morning but there is a good chance that Paulo Fonseca will be summoned this Wednesday and will know the length of his suspension immediately afterwards.

They added: "The committee would like to move quickly and hit hard."

Speaking to DAZN after the full-time whistle, Fonseca issued an apology for his behaviour.

"I apologise for this gesture. I shouldn't do that. Football makes us do bad gestures," he said. "The match was very difficult. Playing against Brest is always difficult, they are a physical team, they defended a lot. These are very important points."

Meanwhile let’s check in on Paulo Fonseca over in France pic.twitter.com/pSMhYd6sDQ

— Matteo Bonetti (@Bonetti) March 2, 2025

Lyon captain Alexandre Lacazette also gave his take on the incident.

"It's part of football. I think he'll regret this gesture but we'll see what the disciplinary committee says," he said. "It's tension. There are a lot of questionable choices. When you live the match, sometimes you can do things. We're all behind the coach."

Thoughts on the moment from Sunday's game? Let us know in the comments.