Paul Pogba: 5 Footballers Who Have Previously Been Banned As Juventus Player Gets 4 Year Punishment

• Paul Pogba has been banned for four years for doping, but will appeal the decision
• The Juventus player isn't the first footballer who was banned for a period of time
• Diego Maradona was one of the world's best players but also a controversial figure

Football may be called the beautiful game, but there’s a dark side to it as well.

Many talented footballers proved that they were only human, as they were caught up in a range of activities which got them banned.

With Paul Pogba receiving a 4-year ban for doping, Sports Brief looks at other prominent players who were banned from the game for a period of time for different reasons.

Five prominent players who were banned

Paul Pogba

15 best footballers who smoke: A list of footballers who take the occasional puff

Football

Kicking off the list is the latest player to find himself in hot water.

The Juventus star has been handed a 4-year after he was found guilty of doping.

The Frenchman was provisionally suspended last year but has now been hit with a full ban,

Pogba, who said he is sad and heartbroken by the news, has promised to appeal the decision, The Guardian noted.

Diego Maradona

The Argentinian will go down as one of the greatest of all time, but he also had his fair share of problems.

The Hand of God controversy aside, Maradona also made headlines for some of his other antics.

The Independent reported that he was banned in 1994 for illegal substance abuse. The former World Cup winner was banned for 15 months from all competitions and was also fined £ 10 000.

Luis Suarez

The Uruguayan got himself in trouble for his big mouth, but it wasn’t because of anything he said.

The biggest World Cup snubs: A list of footballers left out of their countries’ World Cup squad

Football

Instead, the former Liverpool star was banned because he bit Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

As noted by ESPN, he was banned for nine international matches. He was also banned from all football activity for four months.

Ivan Toney

The Brentford striker was banned not because of illegal substances or a violent incident but because of a gambling addiction.

Toney received an eight-month ban in 2023 after he was found guilty of betting on his own side to lose, GOAL reported.

The offences were committed between February 2017 and January 2021, before he became a Brentford player.

The striker returned to action on January 16, 2024.

Eric Cantona

The Manchester United legend’s ban was also one of the strangest in football.

In 1995, during a game between United and Crystal Palace, Cantona was sent off after he kung-fu kicked a fan in the stands.

NBA players who went to jail: 10 best hoopers with criminal records

NBA

Cantona was banned for nine months and stripped of the captaincy. As noted by The Mirror, he said his only regret was not making a better connection with the supporter.

Pogba banned for doping

Sports Brief reported how former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned for doping.

The 30-year-old Juventus star was handed a four-year ban from football after he tested positive for testosterone.

The ban will start from the date of the first test, meaning he will effectively be out of action until August 2027.