Paulo Fonseca joined Lyon in January 2025 as a replacement for Pierre Sage and was under contract until the end of this season. (EPA Images pic)LYON: French club Lyon confirmed on Wednesday the departure of Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca to Sporting Lisbon with a compensation fee of €5 million (US$5.6million) paid to the Ligue 1 side.
Fonseca, 53, joined Lyon in January 2025 as a replacement for Pierre Sage and had been under contract until the end of this season.
"Paulo came to see me last week to say that he had received an offer from Sporting and had accepted it, explaining that it was a choice of the heart as it is his boyhood club," Lyon sporting director Matthieu Louis-Jean told AFP.
"I wasn't expecting this at all. I tried to understand his reasons, but it quickly became clear that, for him, it was an offer he couldn't refuse and for us, it would be difficult, because you can't keep someone against their will."
