Published on 4/30/2026
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Last update: 21:56 (Mecca time)
The records of the English Premier League are full of a series of stories that went beyond the borders of the green rectangle, where penalties were not just numbers in disciplinary reports, but rather defining moments that changed the paths of players and shook major clubs.
Between violent interventions, doping cases, and betting violations, a number of stars found themselves on lists of “long enforced absences,” in scenes that reflected the strictness of English laws and the extent of sensitivity surrounding players’ behavior on and off the field.
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In this context, the GiveMeSport website monitored the most prominent of these penalties that shook the foundations of English football, and revealed how a single administrative decision can change a player’s path from the top to a forced suspension, or from stardom to a long absence from the limelight.
8- Evan Tony: (8 months)
The former Brentford player has been charged with violating the FA’s betting regulations, after being suspected of committing 232 betting violations over a four-year period between 2017 and 2021.
The case refers to repeated violations of the regulations governing betting within English football, which are strict rules that prevent players from participating in any activity related to betting related to official matches or competitions.
7- Rio Ferdinand (8 months)
In December 2003, English defender Rio Ferdinand, the Manchester United player, missed a scheduled doping test as part of the routine procedures, justifying this by saying that he had forgotten the appointment because he was busy shopping.
Although he underwent examination later and passed it without any problems, the English Football Association did not deal with the incident leniently, and decided to impose an 8-month ban on him.
This decision had a major impact on his international career, as it prevented him from participating with the England national team in the Euro 2004 tournament, in one of the most controversial moments of his career off the field.
6- Eric Cantona (9 months)
In one of the most famous incidents in the history of English football, French star Eric Cantona, the Manchester United player, surprised everyone in January 1995, when he directed a “kung-fu kick” to a Crystal Palace fan after being sent off during the match.
The violent reaction cost him a severe penalty that included a 9-month suspension, along with 120 hours of community service and a fine, in an incident that shook the player’s image at the time and sparked widespread controversy in the English and international media.
Despite this, Cantona later returned to the stadiums to continue his career, while in subsequent statements he surprisingly described the incident as “the best moment” in his career, an expression that in turn sparked a lot of controversy about his personality and the way he looked at that stage.
5- Mark Bosnich (9 months)
Australian-Bosnian goalkeeper Mark Bosnic’s career with Chelsea effectively ended in September 2002, after he was found to have taken cocaine, in a case that caused a great shock in English football at the time.
Despite his attempts to file an appeal to reduce the penalty, the final decision had a profound impact on his career, as it led to the collapse of the career of a goalkeeper who was seen as one of the most prominent names in his position during his period of brilliance.
After the suspension, Bosnic entered a long period of absence from the field that extended for about 5 full years, before he later tried to return without regaining his former luster or his position at the top.
4- Sandro Tonali (10 months)
After a huge deal amounting to (the equivalent of approximately 70 million US dollars), Newcastle received a strong shock by suspending Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali, who came from Milan, for a full 10 months due to violations related to betting rules in Italy and England.
The punishment came to hit the new player’s season with the English club to the core, as it practically deprived him of participating in most of the matches of the first season, and also excluded him from the Euro 2024 tournament with the Italian national team, in one of the biggest early setbacks in his career after moving to the English Premier League.
3- Abel Javier (12 months)
Portuguese defender Abel Javier entered the history of the English Premier League through the narrow door in 2005, after he became the first player in the Premier League to be punished for doping, after he was proven to have used the banned substance Dianabol, and he was playing at the time for Middlesbrough.
The initial penalty amounted to 18 months of suspension, before it was later reduced to only one year after an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), in a case that then set a remarkable precedent in English football and reopened the debate about strict control over the doping file in football.
2- Joey Barton (13 months)
The troublemaker, Joey Barton, was not far from the cycle of long punishments, as he was subjected to a harsh ban of 13 months due to repeated and serious violations related to the betting rules in English football.
This punishment was not just a temporary suspension, but rather represented a decisive turning point in his career, as it directly affected his continuity on the field and contributed to accelerating the end of his professional career at the highest level.
1- Mykhailo Modric (4 years):
The English Football Association announced on Wednesday that it had banned the Chelsea star for 4 years, but the player decided to appeal the decision.
According to The Sun newspaper, Chelsea winger, Mykhailo Modric, was banned for 4 years due to a doping violation.
Modric was temporarily suspended in December 2024 after he was found to have taken a banned substance in a drug test, as the banned substance meldonium was found in a urine sample while he was on an international mission with Ukraine.
