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FIFA bans ex-Nigeria coach Samson Siasia for life

The world football governing body has handed former Nigeria coach Samson Siasia a lifetime ban for conspiring to fix a football match, during his time as coach of the national team.
Samson Siasia
Samson Siasia

However, FIFA didn’t disclose the actual match or matches Samson Siasia conspired to fix during his national team coaching duties.

He coached the Super Eagles from 2010-2011, before he had a second tenure with the senior male national football team of Nigeria in 2016 and also had a spell with the U-20 national male football team of Nigeria.

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"The Ethics Committee has found Mr 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," said a Fifa statement.

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Siasia, who has yet to comment, was banned "for life from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level. In addition, a fine in the amount of CHF 50,000 (US$50,000) has been imposed on Mr Siasia."

The sanction stems from an ongoing 'large-scale investigation' Fifa is conducting into the behaviour of Wilson Raj Perumal, a convicted match-fixer from Singapore.

He is the third African to be banned by Fifa for his links to Perumal after former Sierra Leone FA official Abu Bakarr Kabba and former Botswana FA official Mooketsi Kgotlele were suspended in July for five years and for life respectively.

A former international, Siasia won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria, for whom he played over 50 times while scoring 16 goals.

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