Matteo Guendouzi at centre of brawl after Fenerbahce seal Champions League return at Lyon
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Matteo Guendouzi at centre of brawl after Fenerbahce seal Champions League return at Lyon")
Guendouzi (Right most) at centre of brawl vs Lyon after Fenerbahce return to Champions League Photograph: (AFP)
Fenerbahce beat Lyon 2-1 (3-2 agg) to reach the Champions League. Post-match scenes turned violent as ex-Marseille midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi sparked a brawl with home fans and Lyon staff.
The Champions League play-off between French club Lyon and Turkish club Fenerbahce on Wednesday (Aug 26) turned violent, with Fenerbahce's French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi at the center. The Turkish club won 2-1 on Wednesday at Lyon, securing their first Champions League main stage spot since 2008/09 with a 3-2 aggregate victory. After the win, a scuffle broke out between the players and staff of both sides on the pitch and in the tunnel.
Also Read - Champions League 2026/27 Draw: Full List of 36 qualified teams, format, dates & broadcast details
What led to the Lyon vs Fenerbahce scuffle in the Champions League play-off?
As soon as the final whistle blew, Guendouzi—who had already been in a heated exchange with the home fans—rushed toward the corner where the visiting Fenerbahce fans were gathered. He then got into another argument with Antonio Ferreira, Lyon's goalkeeping coach, which escalated into a full-scale fight involving players and staff from both teams on the pitch and leading into the tunnel.
What each side said after the brawl:
Guendouzi, who played for Lyon's arch-rivals Marseille from 2021 to 2024, blamed abuse from the Lyon supporters for his reaction and said after the match as reported:
"As you know, when 60,000 people insult your family, your mother, your children, even before the match, and no one from the officiating team asks the fans to keep quiet... because I know that in France, when this kind of thing happens, they reach a point where they talk to the fans and the match can be stopped.
For 90 minutes, and even more during the warm-up, they insulted my family. It is something that affects you deeply... They insulted my mother and my family, which I consider disrespectful. In addition, if we are no longer able to celebrate the way we want, I think that is regrettable."
Corentin Tolisso, Guendouzi's former international teammate and current Lyon midfielder, offered a different perspective on the incident:
"I simply told him to celebrate with his team and to stay humble after the win. Leave the Lyon fans alone, they are frustrated enough. I find this behavior irresponsible. I hope he learns from it."
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
