Guendouzi makes 'Jul' gesture at Lyon fans, sparks mass brawl after Fenerbahçe win

Mattéo Guendouzi set Groupama Stadium alight on Thursday evening following Olympique Lyonnais’s 2-1 defeat to Fenerbahçe. At the final whistle, the French midfielder made the ‘Jul’ sign — an emblem of Marseille culture — toward the home stands while chanting ‘Come on OM’ repeatedly at the Lyon supporters.

Tension was already palpable well before kick-off. During the warm-up, Guendouzi was greeted with heavy booing and hostile chants, to which he responded with gestures of irritation and middle fingers directed at the Lyon ultras.

It was at the final whistle, however, that the situation truly spiraled. The player’s repeated provocations sparked the anger of Lyon’s players, who rushed toward him to confront him. Antonio Ferreira, Lyon’s goalkeeping coach, was himself targeted by members of Fenerbahçe’s staff. The scene quickly turned into a mass brawl: shoving, insults and confused scuffles erupted for several minutes before the technical staffs and match officials managed to separate those involved and escort the Istanbul players to the dressing room amid a hail of projectiles.

In the mixed zone, Guendouzi defended his behavior without hesitation, citing the insults he had endured throughout the evening. “You know, when you have 60,000 people insulting your family, your mother, your children, even before the match, and nobody in the refereeing team tells the stadium to be quiet… For 90 minutes, even more with the warm-up, they insulted my family. That’s something that touches you,” he said.

Fenerbahçe’s qualification secured on Lyon’s pitch now risks being overshadowed by the disciplinary consequences this chaotic evening is sure to bring.