Every Player Banned for Life in Football

Bans and suspension are fairly common place in football and have been throughout its history. More often than not, be it for an action on or off the pitch, player suspensions can range from one game to several months, with recent examples including Sandro Tonali, soon after his move from AC Milan to Newcastle United, and Ivan Toney, then at Brentford, being banned for betting. Which players, though, have carried out an act so heinous that it has seen them banned from the sport for the rest of their lives?

Europe

Dominique Taboga and Sanel Kuljic

In November 2013, Taboga made claims that he had been blackmailed into fixing football matches by fellow Austrian Sanel Kuljic. At the time, Taboga had been playing for 11 years in his native Austria, with a brief stint in Norway, while Kuljic had remained in Austria since his debut in 1996, even making 20 appearances for the Austrian national side between 2005 and 2007.

Taboga went on to admit that he had tried to convince four other players to manipulate a game at some point in the 2012/13 season. From this, he went on to be banned for life, not only from playing, but from refereeing, coaching, working as a coach or working as an agent.

As for Kuljic, investigations led to allegations that he had tried to fix 18 matches across the top two tiers of Austrian domestic football. On top of his eventual lifetime ban from the sport, the striker was sentenced to five years in prison in 2014, though due to good behaviour, he was released after serving three years of his sentence. In 2019, Kuljic would find himself in trouble with the law once more, this time due to drug dealing, for which he was sentenced to a further year in prison.

Danijel Madaric

In a 14-year career, stretching from 1996 to 2010, Danijel Madaric played as a goalkeeper, predominantly for NK Varteks in his home country of Croatia. He too had a three-year spell in Poland with Zaglebie Lubin, making over 100 league appearances throughout his time as a player.

He was forced into an early and abrupt retirement in the early 2010s. After a stint with NK Medimurje, Madaric was charged with match fixing in February 2011. He was sentenced to a seven-month term in prison, while the Croatian Football Federation wasted no time in hitting him with a lifetime ban from football.

Africa

Seidath Tchomogo, Ibrahim Kargbo and Hellings Mwakasungula

Domestically, Tchomogo played in his home country of Benin, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Worldwide, the midfielder was no doubt better known for his international career, garnering over 50 caps for Benin between 2003 and 2013, representing them at three different Africa Cup of Nations across the 2000s. Mwakasungula, also a midfielder, made his debut for Malawi in 2005, going on to play his entire domestic career in Africa.

Ibrahim Kargbo is perhaps the most recognisable part of the aforementioned trio. He captained Sierra Leone, acquiring over 30 caps in the process, and his club career took him to Belgium, Turkey, Portugal and the Netherlands. He ultimately finished his career in England, spending three years with Dulwich Hamlet.

In 2019, the three were charged by FIFA for “attempted match manipulation of international games,” but the governing body gave little more detail on the matter. Regardless, Tchomogo, Mwakasungula and Kargbo were immediately banned for life from the game, putting an end to their careers which were all still ongoing at the time.

Asia

Ahmad al Saleh

A central defender, al Saleh made his debut in 2008, going on to play for teams in Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, China and Lebanon, as well as several Syrian domestic teams. He too was a regular in the Syrian international set up, debuting for them in 2008 and racking up over 50 caps until his final appearance in 2022.

In early 2023, al Saleh was playing for al-Jaish, a Damascus-based outfit at which he began his senior career. In a match against al-Wathba in the Syrian top flight, defender al Saleh was dismissed after being shown a straight red card for a challenge. It was evident that the decision was not one that al Saleh appreciated much, seeing red as swiftly as he was shown it.

The defender had to be restrained by players from both teams involved in the match. Soon after the incident, al Saleh was banned for life by the Syrian Football Federation, alleging that the referee al Saleh had been infuriated by was then “kicked, insulted and spat on.” Al-Jaish were fined and not allowed to appeal, as was al Saleh, who reportedly continued insulting the official even in the dressing room.

Laos match fixing scandal

Such were the words of the AFC when, in February 2017, they announced that 22 individuals had been charged with match fixing and ultimately banned from the sport for life. Vathana Keodouangdeth, Odien Syharlad, Sitthideth Khanthavong, Anousay Noyvong, Thenthong Phonsettha, Vongdalasene Sayoulasouk, Paseuthsack Souliyavong, Xaisongkham Champathong, Khouanta Sivongthong, Maitee, Dao Khotsaya, Soubandit Thammavong, Phoutthakone Keovongsa, Hang Sukonthea, Peas Sothy, Saynakhonevieng Phommapanya, Chintana Souksavath, Moukda Souksavath and MPhatthana Syvilay were all charged in one of the heftiest punishments given out in footballing history.

Of the 22 accused, 15 had or were playing for one of the Laos national team or Lao Toyota FC. The AFC emphasised at the time of their statement that, while the suspension initially only applied to their area, they had applied to FIFA to make the bans have an effect worldwide.

Korean match fixing scandal

In 2011, what was and still is the heaviest punishment ever issued in the history of the K-League, 10 players were charged with match fixing and banned from football for life. Of the players, Ou Kyoung-Jun, Park Jung-Hae, Kwon Jip, Lee Jung-Won, Yang Jung-Min, Kwak Chang-Hee, Sin Jun-Bae, Kim Ba-Woo, Park Sang-Wook and Kang Gu-Nam, eight were playing for Daejeon Citizen at the time of their charge. South Korea international Choi Sung-Kuk would later go on to admit that he attended a conspiracy meeting, but did not go on to participate in the plan. He too was handed a lifetime ban.

As punishment, Daejeon were handed a 30% reduction in their yearly Sports Promotion Voting Rights revenue, something akin to a national sports lottery. Gwangju and Sangju Sangmu Phoenix, two other teams that each had one player charged with relation to match fixing, were handed a similar punishment, only their money was reduced by only 10% in comparison to Daejeon’s punishment.

Mursyid Effendi

Effendi spent the bulk of his career representing Persebaya Surabaya, a club from East Java that play in Indonesia’s top flight. The defender made over 250 appearances for the team before leaving for Persiku Kudus, a side based in central Java, in 2007. His spell with Persiku was brief, as Effendi retired that very year.

In 1998, Effendi was called up to the Indonesian national team for the first time. He made a strong impression, garnering five caps throughout the same year. It was while he was playing for the Garuda Warriors that perhaps his moment of fame, or infamy depending on who you ask, occurred.

Indonesia were playing Thailand in a group game of the 1998 Tiger Cup, the second edition of what is now the ASEAN Championship. Entering the final minute of the match, the sides were locked together with a 2-2 scoreline. Had that been the result, Indonesia would have advanced with a first-placed finish in Group B.

Effendi, however, had other ideas. He scored an own goal in the last minute of the game, meaning Thailand snatched a 3-2 victory. It did not take long for the action to be taken as deliberate, and Effendi was soon after banned from international football for life by FIFA.

Iu Wai

Wai had a promising start to his career. Debuting in 2007 at just 16 years old, the defender would go on to play for three clubs in his native Hong Kong between his debut and 2011. Not only that, but he was soon called up to the youth ranks of the Hong Kong international side. From 2008 to 2011, Wai represented the Hong Kong under-20s side, earning himself eight international caps for the side while notching three goals in the process, impressive for a defensive player. Regardless of any promise that he showed, however, his career came to an abrupt end.

In 2011, the Hong Kong under-20s were preparing to play Russia in a friendly match. Before the game, Wai approached two of his teammates, fellow youth internationals Chiu Yu-Ming and Chan Cham-Hei, offering to pay them if they helped him throw the game to their opponents. Rather than follow the plan that had been proposed to them, Yu-Ming and Cham-Hai declined and swiftly reported Wai to the appropriate authorities.

When tried on the matter, Wai pleaded guilty to two counts of bribery and has not played football at any professional level since then.

South and Central America

Salvador Carmona

Carmona played football for nearly 15 years, racking up over 350 domestic appearances in a career spent entirely in his native Mexico. The bulk of his appearances came for Toluca, who he made his professional debut with in 1993 and departed in 2000. In 1996, the defender was called up to the Mexican national team for the first time. He would represent Mexico 84 times, the 24th highest cap total of any player in El Tri’s history. He was an integral part of the Mexican teams at two World Cups, the 1998 and 2002 editions, contributing to each side’s successes.

Despite his obvious talent, Carmona struggled with troubles away from the field. In 2005, during that year’s FIFA Confederations Cup, the defender and his teammate, Aaron Galindo, were involved in a doping controversy, resulting in both players each being suspended for a year and stopping them from playing with Mexico at the World Cup in 2006.

A control test was taken in January 2006, the results of which were announced in May 2007. Carmona failed once again and as a result, he was handed a lifetime ban from professional football, bringing an abrupt end to an otherwise successful career.

El Salvador Scandal

In 2013, the El Salvador national team were fired into the spotlight, something that did not often happen for the Central American country. Unfortunately for La Selecta, it was not for a particularly positive reason.

22 players were initially suspended, and from that number, some 14 players for the national side, Luis Anaya, Osael Romero, Ramon Sanchez, Christian Castillo, Miguel Granada, Miguel Montes, Dagoberto Portillo, Dennis Alas, Darwin Bonilla, Ramon Flores, Alfredo Pacheco, Mordecai Henriquez, Marvin Gonzalez and Reynaldo Hernandez, were hit with lifetime bans from football.

Such were the ramifications of the ban that the El Salvadoran Football Federation gave their league clubs affected by the ban a 15-day window to hire new players for their teams.

Guillermo Ramirez, Yony Flores and Gustavo Cabrera

Ramirez made over 450 appearances in a career that spanned almost two decades. He spent most of his career with Municipal in his native Guatemala, but had stints elsewhere, such as a 2005 loan spell with LA Galaxy in the MLS. He too was captain of his national side, picking up 106 caps between 1997 and 2012.

Flores, a Guatemalan defender, spent his entire professional career in his home country. He was called up to the national side for the first time in 2007 and played 21 games for them in total, scoring a single goal in that time.

Cabrera was also a defender throughout his years as a player and like Ramirez, spent a small period of time in the United States. He made four appearances for Real Salt Lake in 2005 before returning to Comunicaciones, the Guatemalan side he had spent nine years with before going to the MLS. A brief spell in Denmark with AGF Aarhus followed his second term with Comunicaciones, until he returned to Guatemala once more. He too was a capped international player, appearing in 104 games across 12 years.

In September 2012, the National Football Federation of Guatemala found the trio guilty of conspiring to match fix. It was alleged that the group had tried to fix not only two exhibition games with their national team, but a CONCACAF Champions League match between CSD Municipal, who they all played for at the time, and Mexican outfit Santos Laguna.

Initially, the ban given to the three men applied only to Guatemalan football. It did not take long, however, for that ban to be extended, meaning that the trio were not eligible to play the sport professionally anywhere in the world.

Romario, Gabriel Tota, Matheus Gomes and Ygor Catatau

In 2023, concerns started to rise about a potential scandal in the Brazilian Serie B. Allegedly, a criminal organisation had planned for there to be a penalty in three separate league matches. By the second phase of the investigation, 16 players were involved.

Two players involved in the investigation, Romario and Gabriel Tota, were both born in the 21st century, their careers only in their infancy when the investigation began. The former represented Vila Nova and Goiania, while the latter turned out for five different clubs in Brazil across three years.

Goalkeeper Matheus Gomes, another player that was being investigated, started his career with Fluminense, having come through their youth academy, before spending time with a variety of teams in Brazil. Catatau, meanwhile, was on the books at Madureira for eight years, having seven separate loan spells in that time.

Romario was the first to be banned for life, his sentence being handed down in May 2023. Just days later, Tota was also given a lifetime ban from the sport. SImilar punishments followed for Catatau and Gomes soon after.

(Stats and details have been taken from official sources, such as the BBC and the official AFC website. Details are correct as of 25/09/2024)