The 7 longest manager bans in football history | OneFootball

Tonda Eckert is at risk of receiving a ban from football for his involvement in the Southampton spying scandal

Southampton are still dealing with the fallout of the spying scandal that ended their hopes of earning Premier League promotion.

The club were accused by Middlesbrough in May of spying on their pre-match training in the build-up to the first leg of their semi-final play-off clash.

The Hampshire outfit went on to admit to three instances of filming opposition training sessions this season, including against Oxford United and Ipswich Town, as well as against Boro.

This led to the Saints being expelled from the play-offs despite earning their place in the final with a 2-1 aggregate win against Kim Hellberg’s side, with a four point deduction for next season also handed out.

Southampton head coach is now facing the prospect of a ban from football, with the Football Association opening an investigation into the individuals involved in the situation.

Bev Priestman was handed a one-year ban from football for her involvement in the spying scandal that enveloped the Canadian women’s team at the 2024 Olympics, which also led to the team receiving a points deduction.

With the possibility of a ban now hanging over Eckert, we look at the seven longest manager bans in the history of men’s football…

Mark Stimson

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Mark Stimson was handed a six-month ban from football after being found guilty of assault of another male in July 2024.

He was also fined £1,052 as a result of the altercation — although the victim only received £50.

The 58-year-old had previously worked with the likes of Gillingham and Barnet, but had taken the drop down to non-league football by the time of his suspension.

Stimson has since returned to football, working as an assistant coach of Cray Wanderers during the 2025/26 campaign.

He was once a member of the Tottenham Hotspur academy system, and played as a defender for the likes of Newcastle United, Portsmouth and Southend United during his career on the pitch.

Stimson retired from playing in 2004, turning his attention full-time to coaching after taking on a player-manager role with Gray’s Athletic in 2002.

Paulo Fonseca

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Paulo Fonseca has managed the likes of Porto, Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk, AS Roma, Lille and AC Milan in his lengthy managerial career.

But it was during his current stint with Lyon that he received a nine-month ban from football following an incident in March 2025.

The 53-year-old received the punishment for angrily confronting a referee during a 2-1 win against Brest in Ligue 1.

The Portuguese coach had only overseen five games when he was handed the punishment, having taken over in January 2025.

Despite the suspension from conducting his matchday duties, Lyon kept Fonseca on as manager as he was still able to oversee training before the ban concluded on 30 November 2025.

He oversaw a fourth place finish in the French top flight in 2025/26, with the team qualifying for the Europa League as a result.

John Yems

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John Yems was Crawley Town manager from 2019 to 2022 before being dismissed just one month after he was accused of making racist remarks towards his own players.

The FA oversaw a case in which he was found guilty, and punished with an initial 17-month suspension from football.

The now 66-year-old’s ban was extended to three years following an appeal of the original decision, with that expiring last year.

Yems led Crawley to 13th, 12th and 12th place finishes before leaving his role with the club as a result of the scandal.

While his ban from football was lifted in January of this year, he has yet to make his return to the sport, and it remains to be seen whether he will ever work in the industry again.

Ian Aalpol

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Ian Aalop was a manager with the Rochester Eagles when he received an eight-year ban from football in 2021.

The coach received such a severe punishment for assaulting an official after he had been sent off.

He had been accused of encroaching on the field of play on multiple occasions, which led to his dismissal, which he was not happy with.

The referee, Mark Joy, alleged that Aalpol attacked him after the game concluded, with the FA ruling in his favour, which led to the lengthy suspension from the game, which remains active as of writing.

Aalpol will have to wait two more years before potentially returning to the game, although it is certainly questionable whether anyone would be willing to hire him even once the suspension is lifted.

The Rochester Eagles, who compete in the Medway Sunday League, were also fined £125 for the incident.

Don Revie

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Don Revie is one the legendary figures of English football from the 20th Century, enjoying great success with Leeds United and a fierce rivalry with Brian Clough.

He won two First Division titles with the Whites, as well as an FA Cup and EFL Cup, which led to him becoming the England manager in 1974.

However, the manner of his exit from the national team role proved controversial, with the Football Association handing him a 10-year ban from domestic football after discovering he had secretly travelled to the UAE to negotiate a lucrative multi-year deal for himself.

Revie went on to not work in England again, with his managerial career effectively coming to an end with his departure from the England national team in 1977.

The former Leeds boss did get overseas to work in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt before retiring for good in 1984.

Revie lived to the age of 61 before passing away in 1989 after suffering from Motor Neuron Disease.

Enoch West

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Enoch West held the role of player-manager at Manchester United when he received a ban of 30 years from the FA.

He was one of eight people associated with the club, as well as Liverpool, for allegedly match-fixing in December 1915.

While they were all originally handed lifetime bans from the sport for their role in the incident, West’s was reduced to just 30 years, which ran until 1945 and by then he was 59-years-of-age.

The other seven people had their bans lifted when they enlisted in World War I, but the player-manager never enlisted and thus was made to wait until the final year of World War II before he was officially allowed to compete in football again.

Robert Williams-Jones

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Robert Williams-Jones was manager of Amlwch Town FC when he received a lifetime ban from football for assaulting a linesman.

The teenager was working the line in a game Williams-Jones’ side lost 8-0 when the manager took his frustrations out on the official by punching him.

Footage emerged of the incident in which the coach struck the linesman as he walked down the line, which also led to him receiving a 24-week prison sentence, which was suspended for 12 months.

The 44-year-old was also ordered to complete 150 hours of community service, and was made to pay £1,000 in compensation.

The club did not wait long to cut ties with their manager, as he was fired the following day, and he will not be back any time soon either.