Mattéo Guendouzi Receives Two-Game Champions League Ban After Lyon Incident
NYON, Switzerland — Mattéo Guendouzi’s return to France has come at a heavy cost.
UEFA has suspended the Fenerbahce midfielder for the Turkish club’s first two Champions League group games, punishing his role in the toxic, brawl-filled playoff win at Lyon on August 26.
The 2-1 victory sent Fenerbahce back into the Champions League for the first time in 18 years. It also unleashed all the tension that comes with Guendouzi, a former Marseille player, stepping into the home of his old club’s fiercest rival.
He was at the center of it from start to finish.
Guendouzi, 27, clashed with Lyon staff and players amid a mass confrontation near the tunnel after the final whistle. UEFA’s disciplinary panel ruled he violated “rules of decent conduct,” insulted “players or others present at the match,” and provoked spectators.
The punishment is severe.
He will miss Roma’s visit to Istanbul next Thursday and Fenerbahce’s trip to Aston Villa on October 14.
The financial hit is significant too. Guendouzi has been fined 50,000 euros ($58,000).
Mason Greenwood, also caught up in the post-game chaos, escaped with a lighter sanction. The Fenerbahce forward received a one-match ban, but it has been deferred for one year on probation. He was fined 30,000 euros ($35,000) for breaching decent conduct rules.
The flashpoint that defined the night came after the game, in the narrow space by the players’ tunnel.
Lyon goalkeeper coach Antonio Ferreira launched himself at Guendouzi with a leaping kick, an act UEFA labeled “serious assault.” His punishment reflects that wording: a three-game ban from Europa League fixtures, with an additional two matches suspended.
The bad blood had been brewing long before the final whistle.
During the warmup, Guendouzi raised his middle fingers toward Lyon fans. He repeated the gesture after the match, shouted “Allez l’OM” — “Go Marseille” — and grabbed his crotch in front of the home support in wild, goading celebrations. He later said Lyon fans had insulted his family before and during the game.
UEFA’s response went beyond individuals.
Fenerbahce were fined 50,000 euros ($58,000) for violating rules of decent conduct and another 45,000 euros ($52,000) for fan misconduct. Lyon’s bill is even higher: 108,500 euros ($126,000) across a range of charges.
The stakes around this tie were already high. Fenerbahce, heavily backed in the offseason and desperate to close the gap on city rival Galatasaray, built a squad to return to Europe’s top table. Guendouzi and Greenwood arrived as headline signings in that push.
Now, as Galatasaray prepare for their own Champions League campaign, Fenerbahce must start theirs without the combative midfielder who helped drag them there — and who lit the fuse on a night in Lyon that UEFA will remember for all the wrong reasons.
Lyon, meanwhile, must park the chaos and turn to the Europa League, starting away at Anderlecht next Thursday, with their goalkeeper coach watching from the stands.
