Paulo Fonseca leaves Olympique Lyonnais for Sporting CP, Digi Mart USA News (Lyon, France): Less than two years after arriving at Lyon, Paulo Fonseca is leaving the club. Speculation grew after he was seen in tears following Lyon’s 2-0 win over Angers on Sunday.
The club confirmed the departure in a statement published Wednesday, November 4. Lyon said Fonseca had informed its management, after being approached in recent days by a club he is particularly attached to, that he wished to leave Olympique Lyonnais.
The club said the decision was unexpected and regretted it, particularly given its timing in the middle of the season.
Lyon said it concluded that continuing the collaboration could no longer guarantee the total level of commitment needed for the project to succeed. The club added that its full focus must now be on its objectives during a decisive period of the season.
Jorge Maciel, a former assistant coach, will serve as interim coach until the next international break. He is set to lead the team against Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday, and at Brest on Sunday.
Lyon said it will look for a successor whose profile fits the sporting project’s continuity.
Sporting CP will pay Lyon a compensation fee of 5 million euros for the early termination of Fonseca’s contract. Lyon is currently third in Ligue 1.
The Portuguese club, competing in the Champions League, had said over the weekend that it had begun talks to terminate the contract of its coach, Rui Borges. Fonseca, 53, is expected in Lisbon, though Sporting has not yet officially announced his appointment.
