Matteo Guendouzi Receives Four-Match Ban for Post-Match Brawl

Fenerbahce’s Matteo Guendouzi has been hit with a four-match ban in European competition – with half of that suspended – and a €50,000 (£43,000) fine for his role in the ugly post-match brawl that followed the club’s Champions League play-off victory at Lyon.

The French midfielder’s punishment comes after Uefa cited him for “insulting others present at the match, provoking spectators and for violating the basic rules of decent conduct” in the clashes that erupted after Fenerbahce sealed a 3-2 aggregate win to reach the league stage.

Guendouzi will serve two of the four games, while the remaining two are suspended under a one-year probationary period. Any further misconduct in that time could activate the full sanction.

Mason Greenwood, Fenerbahce’s English striker, has also been sanctioned. He received a one-match suspended ban, likewise under a one-year probation, and a €30,000 (£26,000) fine for “violating the basic rules of decent conduct”.

Greenwood only arrived in Istanbul this summer from Marseille, Lyon’s fierce rivals, and his involvement in the chaotic scenes has added another layer of tension to an already charged tie.

On the Lyon side, goalkeeping coach Antonio Ferreira has been punished even more heavily. Uefa handed him a five-match ban, with two of those games suspended, describing his actions as “serious assault” during the post-match confrontations.

The fallout does not stop with individuals. Both clubs have been fined €50,000 each after Uefa ruled that their teams collectively violated “the general and basic rules of conduct”.

A night that should have been remembered in Istanbul and Lyon for a dramatic European play-off now leaves both clubs counting the cost of their behaviour off the ball – and heading into the league stage with Uefa’s disciplinary spotlight firmly on them.