Fenerbahce and Lyon descended into chaos on Wednesday night and a former Arsenal ace was right in the middle of the carnage
Former Arsenal badboy Matteo Guendouzi has been bad again – this time, he has been provoking Lyon supporters. Premier League fans may remember the frizzy-haired Frenchman for grabbing ex-Brighton and Hove Albion striker Matteo Guendouzi by the neck in 2020.
This action, coupled with some not so humble brags about the money he earned compared to the Seagulls, resulted in Mikel Arteta confining him to the outside. Six years after he was booted out of the Emirates Stadium, Guendouzi was at the heart of a Champions League riot between his side Fenerbahce and Lyon.
There was no love lost between Lyon fans and Guendouzi, who played for their fiercest rivals Marseille. At every opportunity, the midfielder taunted Lyon players and fans, at one point saying “we’re f****ng you” as they moved into a 2-0 lead.
In the end, Lyon goalkeeping coach Antonio Ferreira decided he could not take it anymore and proceeded to channel his inner Eric Cantona by fly-kicking Guendouzi. This ignited a fierce scuffle with players from both teams trading blows, while Ferreira was cornered against a wall by Fenerbahce players, reports the Mirror.
After the game, Guendouzi claimed he was merely reacting to the Lyon fans who had been hurling insults at his family.
In the mixed zone post-match, Guendouzi stated: “When you have 60,000 people insulting your family, your mother, your children, even before the game and no one on the referee’s side tells the crowd to be quiet.
“Because I know that in France, when this kind of thing happens, there comes a point when they will talk to the fans and stop the match. For 90 minutes, even longer with the warm-up, they insulted my family. It’s something that gets to you.
“If you want to banter, then it goes both ways. They insulted my mother and my family, and to me, that was disrespectful. Beyond that, if we can’t celebrate the way we want anymore, I think that’s a shame.
“Everyone knows I support OM; I’ve never hidden it. It’s just banter, they insulted my family, if after that we aren’t allowed to make the Jul sign, where are we heading?
“I’ve seen matches where the Lyon players celebrate in front of the stands at the Vélodrome. It has to work both ways. As far as I’m concerned, I have the right to celebrate. There is nothing malicious about the Jul sign.”
Fenerbahce clinched a 2-1 victory, securing a 3-2 aggregate win which propels them into this season’s Champions League. However, the main talking point was the heated altercation in the tunnel.
Lyon star Corentino Tolisso criticised Guendouzi’s actions post-match, stating: “You have to stay humble in victory, go celebrate that with your team in the locker room. Well done, congratulations to them, but there’s no real need to do that.”
Conversely, Fenerbahce’s head coach Ismail Kartal backed the Frenchman, asserting: “As a team we all stood together to support Guendouzi. Support was provided. That is what teamwork is all about.”
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