Lyon head coach Paolo Fonseca says he is being made an example of following his nine-month suspension for a confrontation with a referee in March.
The French Football Association (LFP) banned Fonseca, 52, from having access to the touchline and the officials’ changing rooms before, during and after matches until November 30 after an altercation with referee Benoit Millot during Lyon’s 2-1 Ligue 1 win over Brest on March 2.
The Portuguese coach will be allowed in the dugout for his side’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Manchester United on Thursday due to the sanction only applying in French competitions.
“(The ban is) unbelievable,” Fonseca told The Guardian. “Of course, what I did wasn’t correct and I should pay for it. But I screamed at the referee, I didn’t have any contact with him or commit any (violence).
“They want to make an example of me for French football, I think I’m paying not for what I did but for the moment we are in. But I shouldn’t be an example, I should just pay for what I did.”
“That (the support) is what made me strong, and want to continue. It’s amazing. When you have so much support, you have to fight, to believe in what you can do for the club.”
Fonseca will also not be permitted to have access to the players’ changing rooms, the pitch and tunnel before, during and after fixtures in French football until September 15.
Lyon confirmed in a statement last month that they are “considering all possible options for appeal” after noting “the extreme severity of the unprecedented sanction, and the unusual speed” from the disciplinary committee.
Fonseca’s incident was the second high-profile case involving match officials in Ligue 1 this year.
In February, Marseille president Pablo Longoria was forced to backtrack allegations he made that there was corruption in French football. This came after Longoria claimed Marseille were the victims of corruption following their 3-0 defeat by Auxerre on February 22, where he was incensed by referee Jeremy Stinat’s decision to show a second yellow card to defender Derek Cornelius. Longoria was then given a 15-game ban for his remarks.
After Thursday’s first leg against United, Lyon, who are fifth in Ligue 1, are next in action against Auxerre on Sunday. They will then face United in the second leg at Old Trafford on April 17.
(Mairo Cinquetti/NurPhoto via Getty Images)