‘The sanction makes sense’ – Minister of Sport praises Paulo Fonseca’s nine-month ban | OneFootball

The Minister of Sport, Marie Barsacq, has praised the actions of the Disciplinary Committee who have handed Olympique Lyonnais’ head coach Paulo Fonseca a nine-month ban following his outburst towards referee Benoît Millot.

The Portuguese manager has bristled at the severe punishment and Lyon have rallied around their head coach. The squad showed their support for Fonseca during the 3-1 victory over FCSB yesterday evening and the club are poised to appeal his sanction.

After the match Fonseca cut a defiant figure, “It’s normal that I’m punished. But to have nine months of punishment for a situation which I immediately apologised for?” He further suggested that a “media circus” had blown the situation out of proportion.

However, Brasacq believes that the punishment is fair, as she said in an interview with La Dépêche du Midi, “The sanction makes sense. The Disciplinary Committee is sending a message of zero tolerance for all attacks on referees.”

She continued, “I obviously welcome the need to protect the refereeing body. It’s essential. It must also help to regain the image of football. It’s absolutely essential today that these sanctions have a deterrent effect.”

Olympique de Marseille have been handed lengthy suspensions in recent weeks. The president of the club, Pablo Longoria, received a 15-game ban following his comments after the defeat to AJ Auxerre, while Marseille announced last night they are appealing the 3-month suspension that was handed to sporting director Medhi Benatia following the Coupe de France elimination to Lille OSC.

GFFN | Nick Hartland