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Former Premier League players Mason Greenwood and Matteo Guendouzi are under investigation following alleged provocative behaviour.

UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings involving Greenwood and ex-Arsenal midfielder Guendouzi after claims of inflammatory conduct.

The incident relates to August’s Champions League play-off match against Lyon, which ended 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate in favour of the pair’s club, as Super Lig side Fenerbahce progressed to the main phase of the competition.

The Turkish top-flight club issued a statement confirming that it intends to contest the action taken by UEFA.

The statement said: "Following the UEFA Champions League Play-Off Round second leg match, UEFA has initiated disciplinary proceedings against our players Matteo Guendouzi and Mason Greenwood, as well as against our club.

"Our club will present the necessary defences before the relevant UEFA bodies in order to protect the rights and interests of our players and Fenerbahce during this process.

Fenerbahce added: "The necessary information, documents, and defences regarding the process will be submitted to UEFA, and developments are being closely monitored by our Club. We inform the public accordingly.”

It is alleged that both Greenwood and Guendouzi grabbed their groins in an attempt to provoke the Lyon supporters, while Guendouzi is also said to have shown them his middle finger.

Guendouzi, who spent two and a half seasons with Marseille, Lyon’s rivals, was also involved in another confrontation after helping eliminate the Ligue 1 club from the competition in late August.

Scuffles then broke out both on the pitch and inside the tunnel, with players and staff from both sides reportedly caught up in the disorder. Guendouzi sprinted across the pitch throwing karate kicks, prompting members of Lyon’s squad to move towards him. The former Arsenal man was then shielded by his Fenerbahce team-mates.

The French midfielder’s behaviour continued to inflame the home crowd as he left the field, with claims that he smiled and gestured towards them before being angrily shoved by a member of Lyon’s team or staff.

Guendouzi later defended what he did, saying: "You know, you've got 60,000 people insulting your family, your mum, your children, even before the match, and nobody from the refereeing team tells the stadium to be quiet.

"I know that in France, when this sort of thing happens, there comes a point where they'll speak to the supporters and the match might be stopped. For 90 minutes - even longer if you count the warm-up - they were insulting my family. If you want to banter, then it goes both ways,” he concluded.

Fenerbahce manager Ismail Kartal backed his player after the match, saying that ‘we all stood together’ and that ‘this is what teamwork is all about.’ Greenwood is also being investigated over his part in the post-match scenes after joining the Super Lig club on a four-year contract in July.

The exact nature of Greenwood’s involvement in the post-match confrontation is not yet known, though reports indicate that the Englishman made an obscene gesture. Fenerbahce mentioned both him and Guendouzi by name when announcing the UEFA proceedings against the club.

Lyon’s Champions League defeat also brought another unintended result, forcing the French top-flight outfit to sell star player Malick Fofana. That then developed into one of the most dramatic Premier League deadline-day sagas in history.