Fenerbahce midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has been handed a four-match European suspension – with two matches suspended – and fined 50,000 euros (£43,000) for his involvement in a brawl after their Champions League play-off victory at Lyon.
Mason Greenwood, the English forward from the Turkish team, received a one-match suspended suspension which, similar to Guendouzi’s, “is under a one-year probationary period” and has been fined 30,000 euros (£26,000).
Lyon’s goalkeeping coach Antonio Ferreira received a five-match suspension, with two of those matches deferred, for what Uefa described as “serious assault” after Fenerbahce’s victory, qualifying them for the league stage with a 3-2 aggregate win.
Guendouzi faced penalties for “insulting individuals in attendance at the match, inciting the crowd, and breaching fundamental standards of proper behavior.”
Greenwood, who transferred to Fenerbahce from Marseille, a strong rival of Lyon, during the summer, was punished for “breaching the fundamental principles of acceptable behavior”.
Both teams were also penalized with a fine of 50,000 euros for “breaching the fundamental and general rules of conduct”.
Fenerbahce responded to the outcome, saying in a statement: “Our club is evaluating the decisions and reasoning behind them issued by UEFA through our legal departments, and will pursue the necessary arbitration and appeal processes to the UEFA appeals committee against the penalties imposed.”
Ex-Arsenal midfielder Guendouzi, who was with Marseille from 2021 to 2024, faced consistent booing from Lyon fans throughout the game.
He seemed to provoke portions of the French home crowd after Fenerbahce’s win, and his teammates led him away as tensions rose.
Following the altercation at the end of the match, Guendouzi was spotted yelling “Allez l’OM” at a camera near the field, alluding to Marseille.
A video shared on social media reportedly showed a person dressed in a Lyon kit approaching the France midfielder as he headed to the tunnel, prompting interference from security personnel and players from both teams.
A brawl then erupted in the tunnel involving both teams.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Guendouzi expressed that he felt “disrespected” by Lyon supporters who were mocking him with “insults” regarding his family.
“If we can’t celebrate the way we want afterward, I find that disappointing,” he added.
“When you have 60,000 people insulting your family, your mother, and your children, even before the game, and no-one on the referee’s side tells the crowd to be quiet.
“I know that in France, when this kind of thing happens, there comes a point where they’ll talk to the fans to stop and maybe stop the match.”
