FIFA Ban Almost Over, I Am Returning Bigger, Stronger – Ex-Super Eagles Coach, Siasia Declares

Former coach of the Super Eagles, Samson Siasia, has said that he is returning stronger and bigger than he used to be as a team manager.

Naija News reports that Siasia is currently serving a five-year FIFA ban which is due to elapse in August 2024.

Siasia, a former star of the Super Eagles who led the team to victory in the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), was handed a lifetime ban from all football activities by FIFA in August 2019.

Additionally, he was fined 50,000 Swiss Francs for allegedly accepting bribes to manipulate match outcomes.

The ban on Siasia came after a thorough investigation into matches involving Wilson Perumal, a convicted match-fixer from Singapore.

Disputing the ruling, Siasia lodged an appeal, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to support FIFA’s ban.

In a positive turn of events, the Court of Arbitration for Sports accepted Siasia’s appeal and reduced his sentence to five years, while also dismissing the 50,000 Swiss Francs fine.

The CAS panel concluded that a lifetime ban was excessive for a first offence that was committed passively and had no immediate negative impact on football stakeholders.

“The year is 2024, and it’s almost over. So all I have to do now is rebuild in order to move forward. Before the ban, I was doing extremely well as a coach. But it’s nearly over, and I’ll be returning bigger and stronger,” Daily Trust quoted Siasia to have said in a recent interview.

Siasia acknowledged that the FIFA ban shattered him, considering that football had been his sole pursuit for three-quarters of his existence, be it as a player or a coach.

“They accuse you of something that never happened. It’s extremely painful. And then you’re banned for life for something you didn’t do. There is no evidence to support the claim. But all the same, it’s almost over,” he added.