Fenerbahce Champions League Victory Leads to Heavy Sanctions

Fenerbahce’s fiery Champions League play-off victory in Lyon has spilled into the disciplinary room, with Uefa handing out heavy sanctions after the post-match brawl.

Midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has been hit with a four-match ban in European competition, though two of those games are suspended, and fined 50,000 euros (£43,000). Uefa ruled he was guilty of “insulting others present at the match, provoking spectators and violating the basic rules of decent conduct” in the ugly scenes that followed the final whistle.

The flashpoints came after Fenerbahce sealed a 3-2 aggregate win to reach the league stage, a result that already carried an edge given the atmosphere inside the Lyon stadium. Tensions boiled over instead of easing.

Mason Greenwood, Fenerbahce’s English striker, has also been sanctioned. He received a one-match suspended ban, subject to a one-year probationary period, and a 30,000-euro (£26,000) fine for “violating the basic rules of decent conduct”. The punishment adds another layer of intrigue to his first season in Turkey, especially after his summer move from Marseille – a club fiercely opposed to Lyon.

On the Lyon side, goalkeeping coach Antonio Ferreira has been punished most severely in terms of length of ban. He has been given a five-match suspension from Uefa competition, with two of those matches suspended, after European football’s governing body described his actions as a “serious assault” during the clashes.

The fallout did not stop with individuals. Uefa also fined both clubs 50,000 euros each for their teams “violating the general and basic rules of conduct”.

The goals that sent Fenerbahce through are already in the books. The disciplinary marks from Lyon will linger far longer in their European campaign.