Former Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia has accused the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of cooperating with FIFA to facilitate his ban over alleged involvement in match-fixing in August 2019.
Speaking in a recent interview with Athlist, the 56-year-old, whose ban is nearing its end, expressed his disappointment with the lack of support from the NFF during the ordeal.
Siasia, a former Eagles striker and member of the 1994 AFCON-winning squad, stated, “Nigeria abandoned me at that time of need; that’s my own take on how this thing played out.”
He raised questions about the evidence behind the allegations, emphasizing, “It’s an allegation; they said bribery. What is bribery? Is it not when money changes hands? Was there any proof of that? There were none.”
Recounting the events, Siasia revealed that he had been in contact with someone who turned out to be a match-fixer while discussing a coaching opportunity in Australia. He maintained that there was no wrongdoing on his part and criticized FIFA’s handling of the situation.
He said, “When FIFA was looking for me, I didn’t even know… they went to the NFF and told them not to let me know that they were investigating me. But if they didn’t tell me, how was I supposed to defend myself?”
Reflecting on the notification of the ban, Siasia explained, “Then they sent me a letter, but it went to my spam. It was two days before the ban that I found out that FIFA was looking for me.”
He expressed frustration with the legal process, stating, “For me to do that, it took like two days. Finding a sports lawyer in this country is not easy.”
Siasia highlighted the challenges he faced during the appeal process, including financial burdens and legal complexities.
He mentioned, “It has been dragging because he said I have to pay €300,000 even though our initial agreement was in euros. I’m still struggling with that one just because Nigerians couldn’t stand up on their feet and check what was going on.”
After nearly two years, Siasia appealed the ban, ultimately achieving a reduction in the suspension to five years and the cancellation of an additional fine. Despite the setback, he remains one of Nigeria’s most accomplished coaches, having achieved notable success with the U20 and U23 national teams.
In addition to his coaching accolades, Siasia was a candidate for the vacant Cameroon national team job a few months before facing the FIFA sanction