Former Arsenal star fly kicked after giving middle finger to furious opposition crowd

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FT Desk

Former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi found himself in the middle of a chaotic brawl on Wednesday during Fenerbahce's Champions League playoff tie against Lyon.

The Turkish side progressed through to the league phase after beating Lyon 2-1 away from home, emerging victorious 3-2 on aggregate.

Following the win, Guendouzi, who previously played for Lyon's rivals Marseille before the move to Fenerbahce via Lazio, began celebrating in front of the home supporters at the Groupama Stadium and gesticulated into the stands. At one point, he could be seen giving two middle fingers to individuals in the crowd.

This went on for several minutes and just when it seemed the Frenchman was calming down, he would go on another victory lap towards the Lyon fans.

A member of Lyon's staff FLY KICKED Fenerbahce's Matteo Guendouzi following the 2-1 Champions League loss last night.

Guendouzi took it upon himself to wind up the home fans before being clattered when he went up the tunnel, sparking a brawl.pic.twitter.com/fjRfbIFUuf

— Robin Bairner (@RBairner) August 27, 2026

Several team-mates celebrated with him, while Lyon players eventually got involved to stop the scenes.

As Guendouzi finally made his way off the pitch, he found himself on the wrong end of a fly kick from an unidentified member of the Lyon staff. That instigated a mass brawl in the tunnels as officials, stewards and police struggled to keep a lid on the chaos.

All the while, the Lyon fans were desperately attempting to get onto the pitch to confront Guendouzi themselves.

The Fenerbahce midfielder said he acted in that manner after being abused by the Lyon fans first.

"If we can't celebrate the way we want afterward, I find that disappointing," he said post-match.

"When you have 60,000 people insulting your family, your mother, your children, even before the game and no one on the referees side tells the crowd to be quiet.

"I know that in France, when this kind of thing happens, there comes a point where they'll talk to the fans to stop and maybe stop the match.

Fenerbahce head coach Ismail Kartal addressed the incident in his post-match news conference, saying: "As a team we all stood together to support Guendouzi. Support was provided. That is what teamwork is all about."

Guendouzi began his professional career with Lorient, making his senior debut in 2016 after coming through the club’s academy. His performances earned him a move to Arsenal in 2018, where he quickly became a regular in midfield and impressed with his energy, passing and highly aggressive style.

He helped Arsenal reach the 2019 Europa League final and won the FA Cup and Community Shield during his time in London. After falling out of favour under Mikel Arteta, he spent the 2020–21 season on loan at Hertha Berlin.

Guendouzi rebuilt his career at Marseille, initially joining on loan in 2021 before making the move permanent in 2022. The Frenchman then moved to Lazio, first on loan in 2023 before joining permanently, establishing himself as an important Serie A midfielder. In January 2026, he signed for Fenerbahce.