Former Super Eagles Coach Samson Siasia Completes FIFA Ban

Samson Siasia, a former coach and player for the Super Eagles, has officially served out his five-year FIFA ban for alleged match-fixing.

The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) lowered Siasia’s sentence from a lifetime ban to five years in 2019. The CAS reasoned that a lifetime ban was too harsh for a first-time offender who participated passively in the offence.

The reduced ban, which was in place from August 16, 2019, has already ended. Siasia has not yet made public his plans for the future, however there is much conjecture that he would take a coaching position with the Mighty Jets Football Club in Jos.

In an attempt to implicate Siasia, a match-fixer offered him a coaching position at a team under his control in exchange for fielding specific players. This is how the match-fixing case began in 2010.

However, talks came to an abrupt end when the club refused or was unable to satisfy Siasia’s demands, and the issue was never resolved. While acknowledging Siasia’s minor role, CAS stressed in their ruling that the punishment ought to be deterrent. CAS also revoked the CHF 50,000 penalties that had been issued.

Samson Siasia has had a distinguished football career as a coach and player. He played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1994 African Nations Cup winning side, earning 51 caps for Nigeria and scoring 13 goals.

In his role as coach, he guided Nigeria’s Under-20 squad to both the African Youth Championship championship and the FIFA U-20 World Cup final in 2005.

Additionally, he guided Nigeria’s U-23 squad to a bronze in the Rio Olympics of 2016 and a silver in Beijing in 2008. In 2016, Siasia led the Super Eagles for a limited period of time as head coach.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli