By Amaechi Agbo

On this day, August 16, 2019, Coach Samason Siasia was handed a life ban by world football governing body, FIFA for declaring to take bribe to fix a match during an interview with undercover reporter

Consequently, the Nigeria’s Olympic Silver and Bronze medals winning coach was banned for life by FIFA from football related matters. Siasia, however, has maintained his innocence and questioned why he was targeted fir an offence he didn’t commit. He appealed the life ban.

Following his appeal to CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sports) the ban was reduced to five years.

“The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee found Mr Samson Siasia, a former official of the Nigeria Football Federation, guilty of having accepted that he would receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

“The formal ethics proceedings against Mr Siasia were initiated on 11 February 2019 and stem from an extensive investigation into matches that Mr Wilson Raj Perumal attempted to manipulate for betting purposes.

“This large-scale investigation was conducted by FIFA via its competent departments and in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders and authorities,” FIFA’s Ethics Committee had said

In its decision, the adjudicatory chamber found that Mr Siasia had breached art. 11 (Bribery) of the 2009 edition of the FIFA Code of Ethics and banned him for life from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international levels)

In addition, a fine in the amount of CHF 50,000 was also imposed on Mr Siasia on August 16, 2019 the date on which the ban comes into force.