Former Nigeria coach Samson Siasia has expressed disappointment over his purported ban for life and fined $50,000 by Fifa for agreeing to ‘the manipulation of matches.’
Siasia told respected football Journalist Colin Udoh – very angrily – that he was never invited to defend himself and is hearing about all of this for the first time. He will fight this and clear his name.
“I don’t know anything about this. I did nothing wrong and I have not received any letter from FIFA.”
Siasia was coach of Nigeria between 2010-2011 and for a spell in 2016 but the time period when Fifa believes he committed his infractions is unclear.
He has also served as coach of the country’s Under-20 and Under-23 sides.
In a statement, Siasia was found ‘guilty of having accepted that he would receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches.’
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.
