The Court of Arbitration for Sport yesterday reduced the life ban imposed on former Nigeria international, Samson Siasia by FIFA in a match-fixing case to five years.
FIFA had wielded the big stick on Siasia two years ago after investigations revealed that he had links in the past to the notorious Singaporean match-fixer, Wilson Perumal.
The life ban was to keep Siasia away from all football-related activities (administrative, sports, or any other) at both national and international levels.
The former Nantes attacking midfielder was also fined over £40,000 (50,000 Swiss francs).
The former Super Eagles star and coach always maintained that he was innocent of all the charges.
And on Monday, CAS, the number one institution involved in resolving legal disputes in the field of football, ruled that a life ban for Samson Siasia was “disproportionate” for a passive offence that did not earn him any money.
And according to the Miami Herald, the CAS judges ruled “the imposition of a life ban to be disproportionate for a first offence which was committed passively and which had not had an adverse or immediate effect on football stakeholders.”
A FIFA fine of 50,000 Swiss francs was also overturned.
The ban has been backdated to start on August 16, 2019.
During a distinguished playing career, Siasia helped Nigeria win the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and qualify the country for her first appearance at the FIFA World Cup the same year.
After hanging his boots, the retired midfielder coached Nigeria’s men’s team to take silver at the 2005 World Youth Championship and bronze at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
In his reaction, the former Super Eagles Coach expressed disappointment with the Sports arbitration panel’s verdict and maintains his innocence.
Siasia rejected the decision terming it a ‘disgrace’ and ‘unacceptable’ because ‘I did not commit any crime.’