Samson Siasia, former Super Eagles player and coach, has officially completed a five-year ban imposed by FIFA over match-fixing allegations.
Initially handed a lifetime ban, Siasia’s penalty was reduced to five years in 2019 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which deemed a lifetime ban excessive for a first-time offender who played a passive role in the incident.
The reduced ban, effective from August 16, 2019, has now concluded. While Siasia has not publicly announced his next steps, there is speculation that he may take on a coaching role with Mighty Jets Football Club in Jos.
The match-fixing case dates back to 2010, when a match-fixer attempted to involve Siasia by offering him a coaching job at a club under their control in exchange for fielding specific players. However, negotiations fell through after the club either declined or couldn’t meet Siasia’s demands, and the situation did not progress.
In its ruling, CAS emphasized the need for the punishment to serve as a deterrent, though it recognized Siasia’s limited involvement. The fine of CHF 50,000 initially imposed on Siasia was also annulled by CAS.
Samson Siasia has had a distinguished football career as both a player and coach. He earned 51 caps for Nigeria, scoring 13 goals, and was part of the 1994 FIFA World Cup squad and the team that won the 1994 African Nations Cup. As a coach, he led Nigeria’s Under-20 team to the final of the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup and to victory in the African Youth Championship. He also guided Nigeria’s U-23 team to a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Siasia briefly served as head coach of the Super Eagles in 2016.
