Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, who plays for both Udinese and the Super Eagles, has been banned from football for two months after he was found guilty of taking part in illegal betting. Italian football authorities confirmed the suspension.

His ban will last from August 18 to October 19, 2025. This means he won’t be available at the start of the new Serie A season, which is a major setback for both him and his club.

The issue came from a match on March 11, 2024, when Udinese played against Lazio and won 2-1. The authorities became suspicious due to unusual betting activities during that match.

Okoye received a yellow card in the 64th minute for time-wasting, and this event drew attention because of a sudden rise in bets placed on him getting booked during the game.

Bets with 8/1 odds were placed and led to over €120,000 in total winnings. Most of these bets came from the Udine area, which is also where Udinese is based, making the incident even more suspicious.

Following the incident, Okoye and three of his friends were investigated. By June 2025, they were all referred to the disciplinary committee for questioning.

While there were fears that Okoye could be banned for up to four years over possible match-fixing, he was instead found guilty of illegal betting only. As a result, he received a lighter punishment of just two months.

Okoye joined Udinese in 2023 after leaving Watford and has played in several matches for the team. He also has 18 appearances for Nigeria’s national team. In his absence, Udinese will depend on Razvan Sava as their first-choice goalkeeper, without looking to bring in a new signing.

Okoye’s suspension begins with the Coppa Italia match against Carrarese on August 18. He will also miss six Serie A games before he can return to action on October 19, 2025.