Fenerbahce midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has been hit with a four-match European suspension, two of which are suspended, along with a fine of 50,000 euros (£43,000), after his involvement in a chaotic brawl that erupted following his side's Champions League play-off victory at Lyon.
His teammate, English forward Mason Greenwood, has also been sanctioned by UEFA, receiving a one-match ban that is fully suspended, subject to a one-year probationary period, along with a 30,000 euro (£26,000) fine. Guendouzi's suspended punishment carries the same probationary condition.
The unrest occurred after Fenerbahce secured a 3-2 aggregate win over Lyon, a result that propelled the Turkish club into the Champions League league phase. UEFA also confirmed that Lyon goalkeeping coach Antonio Ferreira has been banned for five matches, two of them suspended, after governing body officials described his conduct in the post-match confrontation as amounting to "serious assault."
In its disciplinary breakdown, UEFA stated that Guendouzi was sanctioned for "insulting others present at the match, provoking spectators and for violating the basic rules of decent conduct." Greenwood, who joined Fenerbahce from Lyon's bitter rivals Marseille this past summer, was penalized solely for breaching standards of decent conduct on the pitch.
Both clubs were also fined 50,000 euros apiece for what UEFA classified as their teams' violation of general conduct regulations during the incident.
The flashpoint centered on Guendouzi, a former Arsenal player who spent three seasons at Marseille between 2021 and 2024. Throughout the match, he was subjected to sustained booing from the home crowd at Lyon, a club with a long-standing rivalry against Marseille. As Fenerbahce celebrated their aggregate triumph, Guendouzi appeared to goad sections of the Lyon support, prompting teammates to quickly steer him away as the atmosphere grew tense.
What followed was a scuffle at the final whistle, during which Guendouzi was filmed shouting "Allez l'OM" — a rallying cry for Marseille — directly toward a pitchside camera. Separate footage that spread across social media appeared to capture a person in Lyon kit confronting the French international as he headed toward the tunnel, with stewards and players from both squads becoming embroiled in the altercation. The confrontation subsequently escalated into a wider melee involving members of both teams inside the tunnel.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Guendouzi defended his reaction, saying he had felt "disrespected" by the abuse directed at him from the stands. "If we can't celebrate the way we want afterward, I find that disappointing," he said.
He went on to describe the nature of the taunts he endured throughout the game. "When you have 60,000 people insulting your family, your mother, your children, even before the game and no-one on the referee's side tells the crowd to be quiet," Guendouzi said.
He further suggested that authorities in his native France would have intervened more forcefully in similar circumstances. "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," he added.
The punishments bring an end to a disciplinary process that examined the conduct of players, staff, and supporters from both clubs following one of the more chaotic scenes of this season's Champions League qualifying rounds. Fenerbahce, now through to the league stage, will look to move past the controversy as they turn their attention to their upcoming European fixtures.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.