10 Biggest Scandals in English Football History (Ranked)
Football Blog
10 Biggest Scandals in English Football History (Ranked)
Football has seen some unbelievable moments over the years, but sometimes the drama off the pitch completely overshadows what happens on it. From corruption and cheating to controversies that changed football forever, English football has had its fair share of scandals.
Some destroyed careers, some changed the rules forever and some are still talked about today.
Here are the 10 biggest scandals in English football history, ranked by Football Park.
10: The Carlos Tevez Transfer Chaos
When Carlos Tevez signed for West Ham United FC in 2006, nobody realised how controversial the deal would become. The transfer involved third-party ownership agreements which breached Premier League rules at the time.
West Ham avoided a points deduction and instead received a huge fine, which absolutely infuriated clubs around them in the relegation battle. The biggest victims were Sheffield United FC, who ended up being relegated by just one point while Tevez helped keep West Ham up.
The fallout was massive. Sheffield United launched legal action and the case dragged on for years. Many fans still believe West Ham should have been docked points instead of fined.
This scandal completely changed how English football dealt with player ownership and transfers moving forward.
9: Kepa Refusing to Be Substituted
The 2019 EFL Cup Final 2019 gave us one of the strangest moments football has ever seen.
With penalties approaching, Maurizio Sarri tried to substitute goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for Willy Caballero. Kepa simply refused to come off.
Millions watched in disbelief as Sarri completely lost his head on the touchline while Kepa waved away the substitution. It looked like total chaos and instantly became one of the most embarrassing moments in modern English football. To make matters worse... Chelsea lost the final.
Chelsea later claimed it was all a misunderstanding, but nobody really bought that explanation. The incident made the club look completely dysfunctional and only added to the pressure Sarri was already under.
To this day, fans still bring it up whenever discussing bizarre football moments.
8: The Battle of Bramall Lane
This was less football match and more complete madness.
In 2002, Sheffield United FC faced West Bromwich Albion FC in a game that completely descended into chaos. Three Sheffield United players were sent off, while two more went off injured after all substitutions had been used.
The game had to be abandoned because Sheffield United no longer had enough players to continue.
Fights broke out everywhere, tackles flew in constantly and the atmosphere became incredibly toxic. The match is still remembered as one of the ugliest games English football has ever seen.
Neil Warnock’s side completely lost control and the scenes became infamous across the country.
Sheff Utd vs West Brom, 2002. Includes one of the worst tackles in football history, and some excellent foreshadowing commentary.
— Football Fights (@Footballfights) April 6, 2025
"Georges Santos has had a bit of history with Andy Johnson. That first challenge will be interesting..." 🏴👊 pic.twitter.com/I18txWTPSf
7: Paolo Di Canio Pushes the Referee
Back in 1998, Paolo Di Canio completely stunned football when he shoved referee Paul Alcock to the ground during a match between Sheffield Wednesday FC and Arsenal.
The image of Alcock stumbling backwards became iconic instantly.
Even by football’s standards, this was shocking. Players arguing with referees is normal. Physically pushing one over absolutely is not.
Di Canio received an eleven-match ban and it became one of the defining controversies of the Premier League era. The incident followed him around for years afterwards and remains one of the most replayed moments in English football history. A scandalous decision from the player which he was rightly banned for.
6: Luis Suárez Racism Controversy
One of the biggest Premier League controversies ever.
Back in 2011, Luis Suárez was accused of racially abusing Patrice Evra during a heated clash between Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC.
The case completely dominated football for months. Suárez denied wrongdoing, but after a lengthy investigation, he was handed an eight-match ban and fined heavily by the FA.
What made things even worse was Liverpool’s reaction at the time. Players wore shirts supporting Suárez before a match which caused huge backlash across football. Then came the infamous moment where Suárez refused to shake Evra’s hand before another meeting between the two sides, creating even more outrage.
The whole scandal massively damaged Liverpool’s image at the time and remains one of the most uncomfortable periods in Premier League history. It sparked huge discussions around racism in football and how clubs deal with these situations publicly.
🗣️Patrice Evra, Suarez'i sevmememin tek sebebi buydu 💔
— Futbol-u Alîyye (@0smanlisporFK) March 8, 2026
pic.twitter.com/osPN07HwWs
5: Eric Cantona’s Kung-Fu Kick
Few moments are more iconic than Eric Cantona flying into the crowd with a kung-fu kick.
After being sent off for Manchester United FC against Crystal Palace FC in 1995, Cantona launched himself at a fan who had been abusing him from the stands.
The footage instantly became world famous.
Cantona received a huge suspension and even faced legal trouble afterwards. It was one of the biggest football stories of the decade and sparked huge debates around player abuse from supporters.
Despite the controversy, bizarrely, the moment almost added to Cantona’s legendary image among many United fans.
4: The John Terry and Anton Ferdinand Racism Case
One of the darkest controversies English football has seen.
John Terry was accused of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand during a match between Chelsea FC and Queens Park Rangers FC.
The case dominated headlines for months. Terry was stripped of the England captaincy and football became completely divided over the situation.
The scandal exposed huge issues regarding racism in football and created enormous tension within the England squad itself.
Even years later, it remains one of the most controversial incidents the Premier League has ever seen.
3: The English Football Match Fixing Allegations
In the 1960s, English football was rocked by one of its biggest ever corruption scandals when several players were accused of fixing matches for betting purposes.
Players from clubs including Sheffield Wednesday FC and Mansfield Town FC were implicated and multiple careers were destroyed.
The scandal completely shook trust in English football and raised huge concerns about gambling influence within the game.
Football authorities reacted aggressively and handed out massive punishments to try and restore confidence in the sport.
It remains one of the earliest major scandals that truly damaged the integrity of English football.
2: Adam Johnson Convictions
This was one of the darkest scandals English football has ever seen.
Former Adam Johnson winger was arrested while playing for Sunderland AFC over sexual activity with an underage girl. As details emerged, the story completely shocked football.
What made the situation even worse was the timeline around the case. Johnson continued playing for Sunderland while investigations were ongoing, which caused enormous backlash towards the club once the full details became public.
In 2016, Johnson pleaded guilty to charges and was sentenced to prison. The scandal completely ended his career and became one of the biggest off-pitch controversies football has ever seen in England.
The reaction across football was enormous. Fans, pundits and clubs all questioned how situations like this were handled and it sparked major discussions about player conduct and safeguarding within the game.
1: Calciopoli’s English Equivalent, The Bruce Grobbelaar Match-Fixing Allegations
England was shocked with the noise surrounding Bruce Grobbelaar in the 1990s.
The Liverpool FC goalkeeper was accused of involvement in match-fixing after undercover footage appeared to show him discussing throwing games for money.
The scandal rocked football completely. One of the country’s most famous players being linked to fixing matches felt almost impossible to believe.
Although Grobbelaar denied wrongdoing and later won legal battles connected to the allegations, the damage to his reputation was enormous.
The story dominated football for years and remains arguably the biggest scandal English football has ever seen because of just how serious the accusations were.
Bruce Grobbelaar: Match-fixing case was a dark time – players didn’t know if I was a cheat
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) February 7, 2025
✍️ @jimw1#LFC | #TelegraphFootball
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