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Coaching Licence Ban: Respond to Siasia’s suit within 21 days, U.S. court tells FIFA

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SIASIA

 

A court in the United States has issued a summons with a 21-day ultimatum to the world football body, FIFA, to respond to Samson Siasia’s suit challenging his coach licence ban and indictment for bribery.

FIFA has to file its response to the suit and serve its answer on the former Nigerian Super Eagles coach within 21 days of being served with the summons, the court clerk, S. James, who signed the document, stated.

“A lawsuit has been filed against you,” the summons’ opening reads, as the document explains further that FIFA would have been entitled to 60 days to respond to the suit if it were to be the U.S. government, its agency, or employee.

It warns that the consequence of failing to comply with the summons is that a default judgment, a sort of a walkover judicial victory, will be delivered in Siasia’s favour.

”The answer or motion must be served on the plaintiff or plaintiff’s attorney, whose name and address are: If you fail to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint.

“You also must file your answer or motion with the court.”

Siasia filed his suit at the U.S. court on August 2, 2021, to challenge FIFA’s ban on his coach licence and conviction for bribery.

FIFA in its verdict published on August 16, 2019, FIFA, in addition to placing a lifetime ban on Siasia’s coach licence, imposed a monetary fine of 50,000 Swiss Francs on him.

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But following his appeal against the decision, a Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) panel, in its decision handed down on June 21, 2021, reduced the lifetime ban on his coach licence to five years, and dismissed the monetary fine.

The CAS panel partially upheld the guilty verdict, attacking some fundamental aspects of FIFA’s verdict.

It, for instance, described the lifetime ban with the monetary fine of 50,000 Swiss Francs imposed on Siasia by FIFA, as cruel and unusual punishment.

It added that the punishment was disproportionate to the offence of bribery.

Still dissatisfied with the CAS panel’s decision, Siasia filed his suit at the U.S. court seeking an annulment of “the lifetime or any ban” on his coach licence.

He also wants the court to order FIFA to make “global public retraction of guilty verdict of accepting bribe” handed down against him.

Disturbed by the reputational and professional injury the FIFA’s verdict has caused him, Siasia also seeks “compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and court costs” in respect of each of the four charges he raised against FIFA.

Trouble began for Siasia when he was approached by a match-fixer, Wilson Perumal, in 2010, offering him a job with an Australian club.

In email conversations between the two of them, Perumal revealed how he intended to run the club fixing matches behind the scene without involving Siasia, who would only be expected to strictly face his job as the head coach.

Despite the match-fixing clauses in the offer, Siasia accepted to play along.

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The email conversations quoted copiously in his suit, show Siasia agreeing to play along while also being cautious about a backlash it may bring.

He proposed the monetary terms of the contract that parties had to agree to for him to take up the job.

“Am I going to pay taxes on this amount if agreed and what about signing on fees, accommodation, and car?” Siasia asked.

“Also need to know about flight tickets for me and my family. I will be waiting for your soonest response because I have other offers I am looking at,” Siasia added in one of the correspondences.

At the end of the 33 emails exchanged between them on the matter, the contract failed to come to fruition due to the inability of the parties to agree on all the terms proposed by Siasia.

Perumal was later reported to have been arrested by the police in Finland and convicted of bribery and conspiracy to match-fixing.

While cooperating with Finnish prosecutors, Perumal turned over his electronic devices containing contact names and email and text communication to the authorities.

Finnish authorities then turned over the cache of information to FIFA which then went on to convict Siasia based on the email communication between him and Perumal.

In FIFA’s verdict handed down at the end of the trial, Mr Siasia, who had at different times handled various Nigerian national teams, was barred from coaching for life.

But the coach licence ban was reduced to a five-year ban and his initial 50,000 Swiss Francs fine totally reversed.

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Siasia, through his team of lawyers led by Nitor Egbarin, filed his suit to challenge the trial on the bribery charge and the life-ban, as well as the subsequent five-year ban imposed on him.

In his suit, he accuses FIFA of committing four principal breaches in arriving at its decision in August 2019.

The four charges raised by Siasia are: violation of his procedural rights, a breach of his property right as a U.S. citizen, infliction of emotional distress on him, and negligence.

He says he was not aware of the bribery charge investigated by FIFA until the verdict imposing a life ban on him was published on August 16, 2019.

He explains that as someone using numerous email accounts, he did not have any cause to check the email which FIFA claimed to have sent the bribery charge to, to enable him to appear to defend himself during the investigations.

“FIFA convicted Siasia for bribery without giving him an opportunity to confront and cross examine adverse witnesses,” the court document reads in part.

Besides FIFA’s alleged failure to give adequate notice of the charge of bribery, Siasia says the world football body also failed to properly investigate the bribery charge.

His lawyers argue further that FIFA convicted Siasia of bribery “based on grossly insufficient evidence, consisting exclusively of emails which the creators or recipients never explained to FIFA”.

 

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13th All African Games: Nigeria finishes second with 120 medals

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Team Nigeria finished second on the medals table at the 13th African Games in Ghana. 

 

The Nigerian contingent raked in 47 gold, 33 silver and 40 bronze medals across 25 sports at the competition.

 

Weightlifting produced Nigeria’s highest medal haul. The team garnered 32 medals — 16 gold, 10 silver and six bronze medals.

 

Athletics was Nigeria’s second most productive sport at the Games, with 22 medals won.

 

Tobi Amusan won her third consecutive African Games gold medal in the women’s 100 meters hurdles. She then anchored the women’s 4×100 meters team to a gold medal.

 

Ese Brume retained her crown in the women’s long jump, while Chukwuebuka Enekwechi reigned supreme in the men’s shot put.

 

Blessing Oborodudu and Odunayo Adekuoroye were pristine as wrestling earned Nigeria 11 medals.

 

Nigeria won eight gold medals in a day in boxing while arm wrestling also produced 13 medals.

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Team Nigeria’s medal haul is only bested by Egypt, which had 189 medals, comprising 101 gold, 46 silver and 42 bronze.

 

South Africa placed third on the medals table with 106 medals — 32 gold, 32 silver and 42 bronze medals.

 

Algeria finished third with 29 gold, 38 silver and 47 bronze medals, while Tunisia completed the top five.

 

The next edition of the African Games will be held in Cairo, Egypt, in 2027.

 

 

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Super Hero: Nigerian footballer, Osayi-Samuel defends teammates against pitch invaders

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Nigerian defender, Bright Osayi-Samuel, who plays for Turkish club, Fenerbahçe, was seen knocking a violent pitch invader to the ground during a chaotic on-pitch brawl on Sunday night.

 

Tension escalated at the end of Fenerbahce’s 3-2 victory over Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super Lig.

Former Manchester United player, Fred, netted two goals in the first half, as Fenerbahce secured the victory with a late 87th-minute goal from Michy Batshuayi.

Fenerbahce players gathered in the middle of the pitch to celebrate their victory when suddenly, a single Trabzonspor fan made his way onto the pitch to taunt them.

 

A security team swiftly apprehended the individual, who was wearing a mask.

As the situation unfolded, a growing number of Trabzonspor supporters managed to bypass the security staff, causing difficulties in maintaining control.


Video captured the 26-year-old Osayi-Samuel in the midst of the commotion.

 

A video that went viral on social media captured the Nigerian chasing a fan and landing a punch to his face, causing the masked supporter to fall to the ground.

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In another clip, Osayi-Samuel can be seen celebrating when he suddenly noticed a pitch invader.

 

In the video, he confronted the aggressor, defending himself against a punch and retaliating with one of his own, as a security guard swiftly subdued the unruly fan.

During the incident, Osayi-Samuel had to be held back by his teammates and security as the situation became more intense.

 

One particular fan was seen brandishing a corner flag as a potential weapon.

According to a report from Mirror UK, the atmosphere became heated as some home supporters resorted to throwing objects onto the pitch, aiming at players, coaches, and referees.

A number of Fenerbahce’s players and staff had hurriedly made their way to the tunnel for safety.

Osayi-Samuel made the move to Fenerbahce from QPR in 2021, following his early career at Blackpool.

The Nigeria international has made 126 appearances for the Turkish team.

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Arsenal defeat Porto to reach Champions League quarter-finals

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Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years after beating Porto in a penalty shootout following a night of tension at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners went into this last-16 second leg 1-0 down but drew level when Leandro Trossard put them ahead on the night four minutes before the interval with a smooth finish following brilliant work by captain Martin Odegaard.

A scrappy, fractious encounter failed to yield a winner even after extra time and it was Arsenal who held their nerve to go through to the last eight.

 

Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were all on target for Arsenal as David Raya saved from Wendell and Galeno to seal victory for Mikel Arteta’s side amid scenes of wild celebration.


Arsenal only trailed to Galeno’s last-gasp goal from the first game in Portugal, but it quickly became clear they would need to pass a stern test of character, temperament and patience against Sergio Conceicao’s streetwise, experienced team.

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Porto, defensively marshalled and organised by the evergreen 41-year-old Pepe, never allowed Arsenal to play with their usual fluency and Trossard’s goal, created after superb footwork and a pass of precision from Odegaard, was a rare moment of weakness from the visitors’ defence.

Arsenal probed but Porto still posed a threat, Raya saving well from Evanilson and Francisco Conceicao.

Odegaard thought he had settled Arsenal’s nerves and put them through without the need for extra time with a second half strike. However, it was ruled out when Havertz was judged to have pulled back Pepe.


The anxiety and anger even reached the technical area, with Porto coach Conceicao an agitated, animated figure throughout, and it threatened to boil over with frustration after their fate was sealed by Raya’s flying save in a chaotic conclusion.

At the end of a nervous night, it was Arsenal who were celebrating with Arteta finally ending his European curse at home, having managed five Europa League ties at Emirates Stadium without winning any.

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It also felt like a psychological barrier had been crossed by the Gunners after losing at the last-16 stage in each of their past seven appearances in the Champions League.

And having reached the last eight, Arsenal might just feel they have learned enough from this tough experience to take their journey deeper into the competition.

Gunners set up dream season finale


Arsenal have had the ideal few days, breaking that barrier into the last eight of Europe’s elite competition while also taking their place at the top of the Premier League.

Their dramatic win against Brentford and the draw between their two closest challengers Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday means they top the league on goal difference.

It also means Arsenal have that feeling of momentum to carry forward into the final stage of the season, fighting both in domestic and European competition.

 

Arsenal’s next game is the mammoth clash with Premier League champions Manchester City at Etihad Stadium on 31 March and Arteta now has time to take a breath and regather his forces in a position of real strength.

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