Siasia says €250,000 to appeal life ban by Fifa yet to be realised

Siasia says €250,000 to appeal life ban by Fifa yet to be realised

Babajide Orevba
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:41 PM

- Samson Siasia coached the Nigeria U20 and U23 teams to second-place finishes at various tournaments

- Fifa handed the tactician a life ban following allegation bordering on match-fixing

- He has appealed the decision and needs €250,000 (about N115million) ahead of the hearing slated for October 6

PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!

Samson Siasia was handed a lifetime ban by the world’s football governing body Fifa for allegedly breaching article 11 of the organization's Code of Ethics.

The body claims that the former Nigerian coach was found "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 manager who led Nigeria U20 and U23 teams to second-place finishes at the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup and the 2008 Beijing Olympics was also fined $51,000 (about N20million).

Siasia, 53, maintains his innocence from the allegation and has filed an appeal with the football body and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the ruling.

The appeal hearing was initially fixed for March 19, 2020, but it has been postponed until October 6 due to the wake of the coronavirus spread.

Barely three weeks to the hearing, the two-time Olympic medalist says the needed €250,000 about (N115million) to prosecute the appeal is yet to be realised.

Recall that a crowdfunding (GoFundMe) account was created to seek donations in a bid get the needed amount to prosecute the appeal.

A total of $616 (about N240,000) has been donated to the ex-international so far on his GoFundMe account.

“Lawyer’s bills are crazy, too expensive. What the lawyers will ask is if I can take out this ban and then I have my life back, then they have a fee; it might be 50,000 Euros; it might be 100,000 Euros" Siasia told Legit.ng during a live Instagram chat.

Samson Siasia says €250,000 to appeal life ban by Fifa yet to be realised
Samson Siasiain action for Nigeria at the 1994 Fifa World Cup. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images

“I came there (GoFundMe account) because I needed help. But a lot of good Nigerians have supported me. Some people will call that they want to pay N50 or N100. We have a lot of good Nigerians.

“If I even have the money which I don’t have yet, still I’m looking at bonuses that these lawyers will get if I can."

October 6, 2020 date has been picked by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to hear the appeal as he hoped to upturn the ban.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that ex-Super Eagles forward Chinedu Obasi who played under the watchful eyes of Siasia says he does not know the manager to be a person who will get himself involved in match-fixing activities.

"I don’t know him to be that type of a person. I hope he comes out victorious that he can continue his life and his career.

“I wish him all the best and hope things will be sorted out as quickly as possible for him,” Obasi said.

I’ve proof to show I was asked for bribe to make World Cup team – Obasi | Legit TV

Authors
Babajide Orevba photo
Babajide Orevba
Babajide Orevba is a CAF accredited Nigerian journalist and HOD of the Local Desk with over 10 years of experience in media landscape.He studied NCE Political Science/Social Studies, AOCOED.
Tags
Nigeria