Football, like any other sport, is no stranger to scandals and controversy. Over the years, many well known football players have been slapped with hefty suspensions for their actions - today, we will be looking at the longest bans in the history of top flight football, including stars who turned out for likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
In this piece, we’ll list the club that each player was signed for at the time of their ban, the length of the suspension and the nature of their offence. Can you guess who claimed the dubious honour of the top spot?
![Offence: shoving a referee](https://www.thestar.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmJhY2ZlM2JiLWU3ZmEtNDlhYy1hMjIxLTE2ZWI2M2IyOTFkMDpiMDMzZGU5OC1jNWU4LTQ5MmQtODNiNy1hMmRlYjM5MDNmMGI=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
1. Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) - 8 games
Offence: shoving a referee Photo: JOHN THYS
![Offence: elbowing Portsmouth midfielder Pedro Mendes](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/05/03/12/37/GettyImages-52739045.jpg.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
2. Ben Thatcher (Manchester City) - 8 games
Offence: elbowing Portsmouth midfielder Pedro Mendes
![Offence: racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/05/03/12/46/GettyImages-129339575.jpg.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
3. Luis Suarez (Liverpool) - 8 matches
Offence: racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra
![Offence: shoving a referee multiple times](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/05/03/12/38/GettyImages-2910746.jpg.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
4. David Prutton (Southampton) - 10 matches
Offence: shoving a referee multiple times