FIFA BEATS NIGERIA COACH’S U.S. APPEAL OVER MATCH-FIXING BAN

FIFA, the organization that oversees football, won a case in a U.S. appeals court against a former coach of the Nigerian national team who wanted to reverse his lifetime sentence for match-fixing, which was ultimately reduced to five years.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled on Thursday by a 3-0 margin that Samson Siasia had failed to establish the basis for a New York trial court’s jurisdiction over his case.

FIFA had imposed the lifelong ban in 2019, alleging that Siasia had broken its code of conduct by participating in a bribery scheme for Australian matches. Siasia was unable to use his U.S. Soccer Federation coaching license as a result of the ban.

Former Nigeria striker Siasia, a resident of Atlanta, filed a lawsuit against FIFA in August 2021, claiming that the evidence was “grossly insufficient” and that the ban was an infringement on his constitutionally protected right to due process.

Although FIFA forbade Siasia from using what he referred to as his “New York” coaching license, the appeals court said that Siasia had not demonstrated that FIFA was “basically at home” in New York or that it had consented to be sued there.

The unsigned ruling confirmed the dismissal of Siasia’s claim by a Manhattan trial judge in October 2021.

Requests for response from a lawyer for Siasia were not immediately returned.

FIFA argued that Siasia’s arguments lacked validity.

The football organization’s headquarters are in Zurich, Switzerland, and Siasia was prohibited by Swiss law.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport lowered the suspension in June 2021 since it was deemed to be excessive for a first offense.