Samson Siasia, a former Nigerian football player and coach, has officially completed a five-year ban imposed by FIFA due to match-fixing accusations. Originally, FIFA banned him for life, but in 2019, the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) reduced the penalty to five years. The CAS believed that a lifetime ban was too severe, especially for a first-time offender who had played only a minor role in the issue.

The case dates back to 2010, when a match-fixer tried to involve Siasia by offering him a coaching position at a club. In return, Siasia was expected to field certain players chosen by the fixer. However, the negotiations fell apart after the club could not meet Siasia’s demands, and no further actions were taken.

Siasia’s reduced ban began on August 16, 2019, and has now officially ended. Although Siasia has not publicly disclosed his next move, there are rumors that he may be in talks to take up a coaching role with Mighty Jets Football Club in Jos, Nigeria.

Despite this setback, Samson Siasia’s football career has been illustrious. He earned 51 caps for the Nigerian national team, scoring 13 goals. Siasia was part of the celebrated squad that competed in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and won the African Nations Cup that same year.

Siasia also made a significant impact as a coach. He led Nigeria’s Under-20 team to the final of the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup and won the African Youth Championship title. Additionally, he coached Nigeria’s Under-23 team to a silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a bronze in the 2016 Rio Olympics. In 2016, he briefly took charge as head coach of the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles.

As Siasia’s ban comes to an end, the football world is watching closely to see what steps he will take next in his coaching career.