[1] Fofana had been compared to Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, however he was forced to retire on 18 January 2017 due to ongoing injury problems.

The youngster drew the interest of Le Havre, which he initially rejected preferring to play with his friends and remain close to his family.

[11] On the final day of the summer transfer window, Lyon confirmed on its official website that the club had signed Fofana from Le Havre.

[16] On 18 January 2017, Fofana announced his retirement from professional football due to persistent injury problems with his ankle.

Prior to representing France on international level, Fofana earned regional caps with Normandy at age 13.

[24] In qualification for the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, Fofana scored a brace against Albania in the first qualifying round.

[25] He also captained the team to a second-place finish at the Algarve Cup in Portugal scoring his lone goal in a group stage match against the hosts.

France won the match 4–2 and Fofana, as captain, was presented with the Fallenhero Trophy by The Football Association chairman Trevor Brooking.

[29] Due to France's victory at the UEFA Under-19 championship, the nation qualified for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which merited under-20 team appearances for Fofana.

He was installed as captain for the fifth consecutive season by Smerecki and made his debut with the team on 7 October 2010 in a friendly match against Portugal, which ended 3–3.

[30] Fofana, subsequently, captained the team in four more matches during the 2010–11 campaign and, on 10 June 2011, was named to the 21-man squad to participate in the U-20 World Cup.