As expected, Paulo Fonseca, coach of Olympique Lyon, will have to face the authorities quickly after his outburst during the match against Brest. The Portuguese coach was summoned this Wednesday by the disciplinary committee of the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), as LFP indicated to AFP. This incident occurred on Sunday when Fonseca was sent off after confronting referee Bastien Millot in a match that ended with Lyon's 2-1 victory.

The disciplinary committee of the LFP will act quickly

The incident has left the coach in a compromised situation, as the LFP has decided to act swiftly and firmly. Just like with the president of Olympique Marseille, Pablo Longoria, who was suspended for 15 matches last week after accusing the refereeing of corruption, Fonseca is expected to face a severe sanction. The LFP has shown its willingness to impose strict penalties, and the Portuguese coach may be notified of his sanction after the scheduled match on Wednesday.

The situation reminds of the case of Nabil Dirar, the Monegasque player who in 2016 contested a referee decision by Tony Chapron. Dirar had a face-to-face confrontation with the referee before being sent off and later suspended for eight matches. The LFP has stated that Fonseca could face a suspension of up to seven months, which would mean the end of his season with Lyon if this measure is applied.

The confrontation with the referee and Fonseca's apologies

The incident occurred during stoppage time of the Lyon-Brest match, corresponding to the 24th round of Ligue 1, played at the Groupama Stadium. At that moment, the VAR intervened due to a controversial play in Lyon's penalty area, which led referee Bastien Millot to send off Fonseca for his nervous behavior on the sidelines.

During his ejection, the Portuguese coach aggressively approached the referee, even making slight head-to-head contact while shouting at him. This behavior was quickly stopped by player Corentin Tolisso and other members of the Lyon coaching staff. After the match, Fonseca apologized for his reaction, acknowledging that he should not have acted in that manner.