The 15 longest bans in Premier League history | OneFootball

Highlights

Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali has been slapped with a 10-month ban from playing after being found guilty of breaching the FA's betting rules, though he is still eligible to feature in training and play in friendlies. Banned by Italy’s football federation, per The Guardian, Tonali must spend the following eight months on a rehabilitation initiative and will involve him making at least 16 trips to his native Italy to meet a host of players – all at varying levels – about the dangers of gambling.

It’s a massive blow to Eddie Howe and his entourage given their hopes of becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League, though the stringent rules – set by the Football Association (FA) – are in place for good reason. And while it is a betting offence that Tonali finds himself tied up in, there are an array of footballers that have been handed whopping bans over the years for a series of reasons: physical assault towards an official, racially abusing the opposition and failing to take a scheduled drug test.

On the back of the 23-year-old's hefty ban got us thinking: what are the longest bans in Premier League history? The Sunnamed the 10 longest bans in the history of the Premier League and we have updated the list following the latest bans to hit the headlines, and you can view it below...

15 Aleksandar Mitrovic - eight games

In a FA Cup affair with Manchester United, the Serbian powerhouse had a moment to forget as, following teammate Willian’s red card, he left his side two men down. Overcome with anger and frustration, Mitrovic shoved referee Chris Kavanagh for showing red cards to Willian and Marco Silva and was then sent for an early bath himself. On the back of his ill-fated interaction with Kavanagh, the Fulham man was given an eight-game ban, one that the Ref Support CEO was a supporter of. Mitrovic made his Fulham return on May 13 when his side travelled to Southampton, a game in which they won, and he scored the second of the affair.

14 Luis Suárez - eight games

Suarez was slapped with an eight-game ban after being found guilty of hurling racial abuse towards Manchester United and France defender Patrice Evra in December 2011. Alongside his suspension from playing, the Uruguayan centre forward was slapped with a hefty fine of £40,000. Upon his return to action against Manchester United, Suarez couldn't help himself but add more fuel to the fire by refusing to shake Evra’s hand as the two teams passed each other before kick-off. In support of their striker, Liverpool players wore t-shirts protesting his innocence following the incident - something that Jamie Carragher later apologised to Evra for.

13 Luis Suárez - 10 games

Synonymously known to be a bit of a troublemaker when playing in Europe, Suarez is of only two players on the list to feature twice. He was suspended for 10 games after he bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in 2013 during a Premier League fixture. Undoubtedly one of the most controversial and infamous moments in English topflight history, his knack to use his teeth followed his around as he repeated his highly controversial actions on Giorgio Chiellini while on international duty. Suarez was – on that occasion – fined £66,000 and received a four-month ban for biting the Italy international in a World Cup game.

12 David Prutton – 10 games

Prutton was given a 10-game ban, as well as a £6,000 fine, when he pushed the referee, Alan Wiley, after being sent off in a game for Southampton against Arsenal in 2005. The suspension, at the time, was the longest served by a Premier League player for physical assault on a match official. Prutton admitted to two separate counts of improper conducts towards the man in the middle as he made a beeline towards assistant referee Paul Norman, who suggested he should be sent off for a reckless challenge on Gunners winger Robert Pires. The Southampton midfielder later issued a sincere apology for manhandling the referee, though it was to no benefit as he endured a ten-match stint away from the field.

11 Paolo Di Canio – 11 games

Despite ending his time in the Premier League as a cult hero, Di Canio didn’t help his cause in a match between Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal in 1998. After being shown a red card, he pushed – just like Prutton - referee Paul Alcock and sent him flying before storming off the pitch in disgust. He was given an 11-game ban and a £10,000 fine as the football authorities were outraged with his behaviour, especially from someone as senior as Di Canio was. Certainly not his finest moment on a football field, Di Canio served his suspension and returned to brilliance 11 games later.

10 Joey Barton - 12 games

Midfielder-turned-troublemaker Barton faced a 12-game ban on the back of his three-man assault at the Etihad Stadium – one of many shameful episodes during his career. Plying his trade for QPR, the player received his marching orders for elbowing Carlos Tevez in the side. A kick for Sergio Aguero followed before his attempt to headbutt Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany. Also fined a whopping £75,000 following a seven-and-a-half-hour hearing with the FA’s commission, the QPR captain had placed his position at the club in the balance, especially as he was found guilty of two charges of violent conduct. Though, this was just another day in the office for Barton.

9 Kolo Toure – six months

Toure was given a six-month ban in 2011 after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances as the FA informed the Ivorian that his A sample returned a positive result and that he was unable to partake in any fixtures into an investigative resolution had been reached. Toure, brother of Yaya, pleaded his innocence as he believed the failed test was down to taking his wife’s water tablets. As such, the Manchester City’s star’s ban was eventually overturned as the FA were under the impression that he had taken the banned substance unknowingly. He returned to action in September, all ready and raring to go for the new campaign.

8 Adrian Mutu - seven months

In September 2004, Chelsea forward Mutu was banned from football for seven months after testing positive for use of cocaine. The Blues then terminated his deal with immediate effect and then started to seek compensation from the Romanian for breach of contract. Aside from his FA-led ban, Mutu was given a fine of £20,000, though the length of his ban was entirely reliant on his attending his rehabilitation sessions in full. He completed his rehabilitation programme with the Sporting Chance Clinic, set up by Tony Adams and did not feel like an appeal was necessary. FIFA eventually ordered Mutu to pay a figure around the £16 million mark to his old club.

7 Ivan Toney - eight months

One of the more high-profile bans of recent times, Brentford frontman is currently out of action, serving his eight-month ban. Scheduled to return in January 2024, the Englishman’s place in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad is in jeopardy. Back in November, Toney was charged with 232 breaches of the FA’s betting laws during a four-year period between 2017 and 2021. On top of his eight-month ban, he was fined £50,000 and was given a stern warning over future conduct. In a statement, Toney said, per Sky: "Today I have received notification of my eight-month ban from football following a hearing before an FA Regulatory Commission that took place yesterday. I am naturally disappointed that I will be unable to play for the next eight months.”

6 Rio Ferdinand - eight months

Ferdinand accidentally missed a scheduled drugs test in December 2003 as the defender claimed he was ‘out shopping’ instead. Despite later taking the test and passing, he was given an eight-month ban - which he later suggested inspired him - and a £50,000 fine following an extensive two-day FA disciplinary hearing. Of course, Ferdinand chose to appeal and despite his best efforts to reduce and/or get rid of his ban, his failure to do so saw him miss the remaining months of Manchester United’s campaign and England’s shot at Euro 2004 glory. In the end, it was revealed that the FA ultimately rejected Ferdinand’s offer to have a hair follicle test in a bid to clear his name.

5 Eric Cantona - nine months

A moment of chaos ensued as Cantona saw red (quite literally) when playing Crystal Palace back in 1995. The Frenchman was given the hefty nine-month ban after infamously kung-fu kicking a supporter of the Selhurst Park outfit in January of that year - we plead you to go and watch it if you find yourself bemused. After admitting to the criminal charge of assault, he was handed a ban for nine months and also got 120 hours of community service. A £30,000 fine also arrived in his inbox. Later hailing it his best moment in a Manchester United strip, this moment was vintage Cantona – and not in a good way.

4 Mark Bosnich - nine months

Australian goalkeeper Bosnich tested positive for cocaine while playing for Chelsea in September 2002 and as such, was binned by the west London-based club. Bosnich, as expected, tried to appeal the case against him, though was unable to win, despite claiming he only took the Class A drug after he was banned from playing. Following his premature sacking from his club, he began training with then Premier League newcomers Portsmouth but endured a five-year career break instead. He eventually returned to his native country, but his drug scandal ruined his once-promising career considering his stints at both the capital club and Manchester United.

3 Sandro Tonali – 10 months

The Tyneside outfit forked out a hefty £55m for the former AC Milan maestro over the summer months and put faith in his European expertise to allow them to integrate back in after their decade-long wait. They will, however, now be without his experience for the remainder of their continental campaign, as well as their Premier League fixtures given he will be away from action for 10 months. Though, in the event that he misses any of his commitments while suspended, there is the possibility that he could face a full 18 months. In order to alleviate the - albeit temporary - loss of the midfielder, transfer insider Dean Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that Newcastle are beginning to formulate a plan to sign a stop-gap replacement.

2 Abel Xavier – 12 months

While plying his trade for Middlesbrough, the Portuguese defender received a whopping year-and-a-half ban from football as he tested positive for the anabolic steroid named Dianabol – most often used by bodybuilders - in his system in a standard post-match procedure. He became the first player in the English game to be banned for doping, and it came following a UEFA Cup match against Xanthi in November 2005 (yes, Middlesbrough were once in Europe!). However, his ban was cut by six months to just a year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in the following summer and Xavier went on to resume his playing days at the club in the following campaign.

1 Joey Barton – 13 months

Never too far from mischief, Barton was initially handed an 18-month suspension from ‘all football activity’ while playing for Burnley for placing bets on 1,260 different matches during his time at the club between 26 March 2006 and 13 May 2016. A remarkable number of bets, Barton received a ban of a higher degree given most players typically get off lighter. Saying that, his ban was then reduced by five months, though it did mark the end of his career given it forced him to hang up his boots earlier than he would’ve liked seeing as the Clarets terminated his contract.