Former Manchester United forward Enoch West was once slapped with a lifetime ban for match-fixing. West, who had previously played for Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest, joined the Red Devils in 1910. The talented centre-forward scored an impressive 72 goals in 166 appearances for United, but his illustrious career was tainted by scandal after five years on their books.
West, along with four of his team-mates and three Liverpool players, were handed lifetime bans after being found guilty of match-fixing in 1915. Many of those who were banned went on to serve their country during the First World War, and their suspensions were absolved upon their return. However, West refused to comply with this condition, resulting in his ban remaining in place for 30 years until it was finally lifted in 1945. Holding the record for the longest suspension in Football Association history, West never returned to professional football and was 59 when his ban was lifted. But he's just one of many athletes who have faced long bans for various reasons throughout their careers.
Lou Vincent
In July 2014, Lou Vincent received a lifetime ban from playing cricket at any level, entering any cricket ground or working in a professional coaching capacity, after confessing to match-fixing offences. The New Zealand batsman released an open letter in which he admitted to his "dark secret" that "shamed" not only himself but also his country and the sport.
Following his suspension, Vincent turned to construction work in Raglan. However, after a successful appeal in December 2023, his lifetime ban from domestic cricket was lifted, allowing him to return to the sport as a player and coach outside of international matches.
Lance Armstrong
In one of the most notorious doping scandals in sports history, Lance Armstrong received a lifetime ban from the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in 2012. The American cyclist, who had won the Tour de France seven consecutive times between 1999 and 2005 after overcoming testicular cancer, subsequently saw all his major achievements erased from the record books.
Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson's meteoric rise to fame was nothing short of extraordinary, having broken the 100-metre and 60-metre world records and clinching a gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. However, his downfall was equally dramatic after he tested positive for Stanozolol following the Olympics and confessed to previously using performance-enhancing drugs.
Johnson was banned for two years as a result and stripped of his Olympic medal due to the doping violations. Despite a brief return to the track in 1991, he was found guilty of doping again just two years later, leading to a lifetime ban imposed by World Athletics.
Hansie Cronje
One of his nation's most revered figures, South African Test captain Hansie Cronje, was slapped with a lifetime ban from cricket in 2000. That's after Cronje, along with Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje and Pieter Strydom, was embroiled in match-fixing allegations.
The scandal led to the King Commission barring him from any cricket-related activities for life. Despite contesting his ban the following year, his appeal was rejected and he remained barred from participating in the sport.
Cronje was tragically killed in a plane crash along with two pilots in June 2002. Suspicions over the details of his death led to conspiracies his death was orchestrated by those looking to cover up match-fixing, as reported by The Guardian at the time.
Liang Wenbo and Li Hang
Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were among the snooker stars implicated in a widespread match-fixing scandal in China, which sent shockwaves through the sport in 2023. While eight others were suspended during the investigation, including 2025 World Snooker Champion Zhao Xintong, Liang and Li were found guilty of fixing matches, influencing others to do the same and betting on matches themselves.
They each received lifetime bans for their roles in the operation. Zhao, on the other hand, was handed a ban of one year and eight months, reduced from two-and-a-half years due to his early admission of guilt and his guilty plea.