Paulo Fonseca challenged over Lyon coaching claim

Paulo Fonseca’s claim to be Olympique Lyonnais’ best coach in recent years has drawn a sharp response after the club’s Champions League qualifying exit. The Portuguese coach defended his work over the past six months by pointing to results achieved with relatively limited investment, but his assessment was challenged publicly.

Speaking on L’Équipe’s television programme, journalist Dave Appadoo described Fonseca as a very good coach and possibly the right choice for Lyon in its current situation. He nevertheless said the coach lacked perspective in presenting his record as an arithmetic comparison. Appadoo also noted that a fact-check had placed Rudi Garcia ahead of Fonseca on results while working with less investment.

The criticism focused on Lyon’s failures in decisive matches since Fonseca took charge. Appadoo referred to the team’s late collapse against Manchester United in the Europa League quarter-final in April 2025, its poor performance against Celta Vigo last season and the missed opportunity to secure direct Champions League qualification through Ligue 1.

The latest setback came against Fenerbahçe in the return leg of the Champions League qualifying play-off. Lyon had drawn 1-1 in Turkey before losing 2-1 at home, ending its route into the competition. Appadoo said he hoped Fonseca would give Lyon a stronger campaign this season and overturn those doubts.