‘It was a very moving moment’ – Paulo Fonseca brought to tears in Lyon’s victory over FCSB | OneFootball

Olympique Lyonnais head coach Paulo Fonseca was brought to tears during his side’s 3-1 victory over FCSB in the Europa League last night.

Fonseca was seen crying after he was embraced by his players following Nicólas Tagliafico’s opener in the 30th minute. The squad have rallied behind their head coach who, the previous day, had received word that he would be serving a nine-month ban from French competitions after he had confronted referee Benoît Millot last weekend.

After the match, Fonseca, who only arrived at Lyon in January, explained “It was a very emotional moment having the support of all my players like that. That’s the most important thing for me. It was a beautiful moment, a moment that shows that we are united… I remain calm, serene, because I feel the whole club behind me.”

The former Lille OSC and AC Milan head coach struck a defiant tone with Lyon poised to appeal the decision, “I hope that the appeals will lead to justice. It’s normal that I’m punished. But to have nine months of punishment for a situation which I immediately apologised for. There is a media circus that continues to say that I physically attacked the referee, when everyone can see that is not the case.”

He continued, “I never intended to, I didn’t touch him, it was a verbal aggression that I regret. I paid for the general situation of French football, because my punishment is heavier than those in the past for similar cases.” Millot’s report, however, suggests that he believes there was physical contact when Fonseca went head to head with him.

Lyon travel south to OGC Nice this weekend for a unique match as neither head coach will be on the bench, as Franck Haise is also serving a suspension.

GFFN | Nick Hartland