Samson Siasia, a former Super Eagles player and coach, has officially completed a five-year ban imposed by FIFA due to match-fixing allegations. Siasia, originally handed a lifetime ban, saw his penalty reduced to five years in 2019 by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), which deemed the initial punishment too harsh for a first-time offender who had only a limited role in the offence.
The reduced ban took effect on August 16, 2019, and has now concluded. Although Siasia has not publicly revealed his future plans, there is speculation that he may soon return to coaching, possibly with Mighty Jets Football Club in Jos.
The match-fixing case that led to Siasia’s ban dates back to 2010, when he was approached by a match-fixer who offered him a coaching position at a club under the fixer’s influence in exchange for selecting certain players. Negotiations, however, fell apart when the club either could not or would not meet Siasia’s terms, and the scheme did not advance further.
In its ruling, CAS acknowledged Siasia’s limited involvement in the incident but stressed the importance of the punishment as a deterrent to others. The court also set aside a fine of CHF 50,000 that had been imposed on Siasia.
Siasia’s football career has been distinguished both on the field and from the sidelines. As a player, he earned 51 caps for Nigeria, scored 13 goals, and was a key member of the 1994 FIFA World Cup team as well as the 1994 African Nations Cup-winning squad. His coaching accomplishments include leading Nigeria’s Under-20 team to the final of the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup and securing the African Youth Championship title. 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 the head coach of the Super Eagles in 2016.
As Siasia’s ban comes to an end, the football community eagerly awaits his next move in what has been a storied and resilient career.
