Guendouzi Banned Two Matches After Playoff Brawl at Lyon — Will Miss Fenerbahçe's Aston Villa Trip
Fenerbahçe's Mattéo Guendouzi has been banned for two Champions League matches after UEFA ruled on a mass brawl and a string of provocations that followed the club's playoff win at Lyon in August — a suspension that already cost him one match and now rules him out of a marquee Matchday 2 fixture.
The Playoff Win That Ended an 18-Year Wait
Fenerbahçe and Lyon had been drawn together in the playoff round after both clubs won their third qualifying round ties in August. Fenerbahçe drew the first leg 1-1 in Istanbul on August 18, then won 2-1 away at Lyon on August 26 to seal a 3-2 aggregate victory — sending the Turkish club into the Champions League league phase for the first time in 18 years.
Scenes After the Final Whistle
Guendouzi, a former Lyon rival Marseille player, was at the center of ugly scenes before and after the second leg — raising his middle fingers toward Lyon fans and shouting "Allez l'OM" ("Go Marseille") during a mass brawl that broke out near the players' tunnel. UEFA responded with a two-match Champions League ban.
The Cost: Missing Roma, Now Missing Aston Villa
The ban has already cost Guendouzi one match — Fenerbahçe's 1-1 draw with Roma on Matchday 1 — and now rules him out of the club's trip to Aston Villa on October 14, one of Matchday 2's more notable fixtures given Villa's own run as reigning Europa League champions.