Paulo Fonseca spoke again about his suspension after having assaulted the referee. The Portuguese coach, speaking to L'Équipe, also analyzed his brief spell at Milan:
"I have never, not even in my personal life or in my childhood, committed the slightest aggression. I have always been a very calm person. So I don’t want to look for excuses or give the impression that I’m justifying myself. I was wrong, I acknowledge that."
Fonseca then continued:
"At that moment in the match, there was a lot of tension, I had just received a red card because I had contested a foul. Why did I react so strongly? I confess that I didn’t like the way the referee was managing the match. Between Milan, where I was let go during the season for the first time in my career, and Lyon, I didn't really take a break. And you can't imagine the pressure that comes with coaching in Milan! Maybe I should have taken a break after Milan, but I don't want to look for excuses."
"My suspension strengthened the group and its desire to fight," added the coach, "it united the dressing room. And even the people at the club are more united. It’s not only because of this suspension, which I consider unfair, it’s also because of the club’s situation, of our president. You can feel that we need to be more together than ever in order to win."
