Fenerbahçe’s dramatic passage into the UEFA Champions League league phase has now come with an expensive post-match bill, after midfielder Matteo Guendouzi and forward Mason Greenwood were sanctioned over the heated scenes that followed their victory against Lyon. UEFA’s disciplinary action has turned what began as a football triumph into a lesson in the rather costly art of celebrating without provoking the opposition.
Guendouzi Pays for Provocation as Celebration Becomes Controversy
Guendouzi has been handed a four-match European suspension, although two matches are suspended, alongside a €50,000 fine. UEFA cited insulting people present at the match, provoking spectators and breaches of basic standards of conduct. In other words, the midfielder apparently discovered that Champions League celebrations come with a rulebook — and UEFA had the receipt ready.
The French midfielder had endured repeated jeering from Lyon supporters during the match and was subsequently seen appearing to taunt sections of the home crowd. After Fenerbahçe’s victory, he reportedly shouted “Allez l’OM” toward a pitchside camera, adding another layer of spice to an already heated occasion. The celebrations eventually spilled into a confrontation involving players, staff and security personnel near the tunnel.
Greenwood Gets Warning as UEFA Draws Line Under Tunnel Trouble
Greenwood, who joined Fenerbahçe after his spell at Marseille, escaped with a one-match suspended ban and a €30,000 fine for violating UEFA’s basic rules of conduct. The suspension, like Guendouzi’s deferred matches, is subject to a one-year probationary period. UEFA’s records confirm Greenwood and Guendouzi are both part of Fenerbahçe’s current Champions League squad.
The punishment extends beyond the two players. Lyon goalkeeping coach Antonio Ferreira received a five-match ban, with two matches suspended, for what UEFA described as serious assault, while both clubs were also fined €50,000 over conduct violations. Fenerbahçe has said it is reviewing the decisions with its legal departments and intends to pursue the relevant appeal and arbitration procedures.
Fenerbahçe’s achievement nevertheless remains significant: the Turkish club defeated Lyon 2-1 in the second leg and progressed 3-2 on aggregate into the Champions League league phase. UEFA’s fixture information lists Fenerbahçe’s next league-phase match against Roma on September 10, meaning the club now has to balance its European ambitions with the disciplinary consequences of a celebration that became considerably more dramatic than the final whistle required.
OGM News FC will continue to monitor the appeals, disciplinary developments and the eventual impact of the suspensions on Fenerbahçe’s Champions League campaign. For now, the message from UEFA appears remarkably simple: win the match, enjoy the victory — but perhaps leave the tunnel brawl out of the celebrations
