FIFA on Friday banned former Nigeria Football Federation official, Samson Siasia for life, after the body’s ethics panel found him guilty of taking bribes in connection with match fixing.
In a statement, the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s independent ethics committee said the probe targeting Siasia stemmed from a wider investigation involving Wilson Raj Perumal, who has confessed to international match-fixing.
The probe that began in February found Siasia “guilty of having accepted that he would receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics,” the statement said.
In addition to being banned from all football related activity for life, Siasia was also handed a fine of 50,000 Swiss francs ($50,000, 46,000 euros).
Siasia, a former striker, also briefly coached Nigeria’s men’s national football team.
Perumal later collaborated with match fixing investigators.
People and Politics recall that Siasia’s mother, Mrs Beauty Ogere Siasia was recently abducted.
The 79-year old woman was kidnapped alongside 65-year old Florence Donana and her 17-year old granddaughter.
The victims were taken away from their Odoni community, in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, on July 15 at about 2 a.m, while the kidnappers demanded for N70m and later settled for N50m.
Siasia, however, begged the kidnappers to set his aged mother free unconditionally saying he was out of job and had no such money to pay them.
Hitherto, the whereabouts of the victims remain unknown.
