Mattéo Guendouzi Faces Two-Game Champions League Ban After Lyon Incident

NYON, Switzerland — Mattéo Guendouzi will miss Fenerbahce’s first two Champions League matches after UEFA came down hard on the midfielder for his role in a stormy playoff win at Lyon.

The 27-year-old, born in the Paris region but forged in the fire of the Marseille–Lyon rivalry, stood at the center of the chaos on Aug. 26. Fenerbahce’s 2-1 victory in France sealed the club’s first Champions League group-stage appearance in 18 years, but the football quickly became a sideshow.

UEFA announced late Friday that Guendouzi has been suspended for “provocations and insults” and for violating rules of decent conduct, including “insulting players or others present at the match” and provoking spectators. He is banned for Fenerbahce’s home clash with Roma next Thursday and the trip to Aston Villa on Oct. 14.

The scenes around the game were incendiary. A former Marseille player returning to the home of OM’s great rival, Guendouzi repeatedly clashed with Lyon fans. During the warmup and again after the final whistle, he raised his middle fingers toward the stands, shouted “Allez l’OM” (“Go Marseille”) and grabbed his crotch in wild post-match celebrations.

Guendouzi later said Lyon supporters had insulted his family before and during the match.

The tension spilled over near the tunnel after full time, where a mass brawl broke out. Lyon goalkeeper coach Antonio Ferreira launched himself into the fray with what UEFA described as a “serious assault,” aiming a leaping kick at Guendouzi.

Ferreira has been banned for three Europa League games, with a further two matches suspended.

Mason Greenwood, who also joined Fenerbahce in the offseason, was caught up in the melee as well. UEFA found the forward guilty of violating rules of decent conduct but stopped short of an immediate suspension, handing him a one-game ban deferred for one year on probation.

The financial penalties matched the disciplinary tone.

Guendouzi was fined 50,000 euros ($58,000), while Greenwood must pay 30,000 euros ($35,000).

Fenerbahce as a club was hit with two separate fines: 50,000 euros ($58,000) for violating rules of decent conduct and 45,000 euros ($52,000) for fan misconduct. Lyon’s bill was even heavier — 108,500 euros ($126,000) for a series of offenses linked to the match. The French side drops into the Europa League and opens its campaign at Anderlecht next Thursday.

For Fenerbahce, the sanctions cut into the optimism of a long-awaited Champions League return. The Istanbul club has poured money into the squad this summer, with Guendouzi and Greenwood among the headline arrivals, in a bid to close the gap on city rival Galatasaray — who will also line up in the Champions League.

Now, as the group stage finally beckons after 18 years away, Fenerbahce must start it without the combative midfielder who helped drag them there, and under the watchful eye of UEFA after a night in Lyon that will not be forgotten quickly.