After Luis Suaréz was given a 10-game ban by the English FA today, many agreed with the FA’s decision to come down hard on the Liverpool forward.
The ban will see Suaréz out of action until next September and seriously hampers his future at Liverpool and in the EPL.
But where does this rank in the longest bans the FA and English Premier League have handed out, all-time? It is certainly not the most severe, but not by much.
Let’s take a look at some of the most memorable bans:
1. Eric Cantona - 9 month suspension
Manchester United’s French wonder lost the plot on a chilly evening at Selhurst Park back in 1995, as the Red Devils No. 7 was sent off against Crystal Palace. As he walked to the changing rooms, a Palace fan seemed to shout abuse at Cantona from the stands. Then all hell broke loose, as Cantona launched himself into the crowd and kicked the fan in a kung-fu style attack. The Frenchman was stripped of his national team captaincy and was banned from playing for United for nine months.
2. Rio Ferdinand - 8 month suspension
Another United player embroiled in a scandal, Rio Ferdinand missed a routine drugs test at the clubs Carrington Training ground back in 2003. Ferdinand was banned for eight months, as a missed test was treated with the same severity as testing positive. The defender would also miss England’s Euro 2004 campaign in Portugal after his bizarre oversight.
3. Joey Barton - 12 game ban
Joey Barton’s antics have been forgotten by some. In case you don’t remember, Barton went on a rampage during the final day of last season, as his QPR side faced Manchester City. But Barton’s red card and subsequent outburst helped City to defeat QPR and lift the EPL crown. Barton, like Suaréz, is certainly no stranger to trouble on the pitch and he was charged with two counts of violent conduct against City’s Argentinian duo of Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero. He has not played in the EPL since, after being loaned out to French side Marseille.
4. Paolo Di Canio - 11 game ban
Sunderland’s Italian manager is perhaps remembered by most fans of English soccer for pushing over referee Paul Alcock back in September 1998. Di Canio was sent off while playing for Sheffield Wednesday against Arsenal, as he reacted in disgust by pushing Alcock to the ground. It has to be said, the referee did make a meal of it, however the charge was enough to end Di Canio’s time at Wednesday, as he later moved on to West Ham United.
5. David Prutton - 10 game ban
One of the lesser known incidents, but almost identical to Di Canio’s. The only saving grace for Prutton was that referee Alan Wiley stayed on his feet, as the Southampton midfielder shoved the ref while trying to apprehend the linesman to protest his innocence. I remember sitting at St. Mary’s during that game, scratching my head as to why Prutton reacted in such a shambolic way.
Many people will be doing the same when they recall these moments of madness, along with the bite that could cost Suaréz his future in the EPL.