Super Eagles keeper Maduka Okoye handed two-month ban over betting scandal

By Dayo Awoniyi

Nigeria international and Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has been suspended for two months after being found guilty of involvement in a betting-related offence, according to OwnGoalNigeria.com.

The punishment stems from an investigation into suspicious betting activity during a Serie A match between Lazio and Udinese.

Authorities identified an unusual volume of bets placed specifically on Okoye to receive a yellow card—an outcome that reportedly carried odds of more than 8-to-1.

The bets yielded over €120,000 in winnings, the bulk of which originated from physical betting shops located in the province of Udine.

In its ruling, the Italian Football Federation’s National Federal Court – Disciplinary Section – announced:

“The National Federal Court, Disciplinary Section, definitively pronouncing, imposes on Mr. Emil Maduka Okoye the sanction of two months of disqualification from official matches, starting from the beginning of the first official competition of the 2025/2026 season.”

Although full details of Okoye’s involvement have not been made public, the suspension will see him miss the first two months of the upcoming Serie A campaign—a significant blow to Udinese, where he is currently the first-choice goalkeeper.

The impact will also be felt by Nigeria’s national team, as Okoye is now unavailable for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa scheduled for September.

As of the time of reporting, Udinese has not issued an official statement regarding the suspension.

The incident casts a shadow over the goalkeeper’s reputation and raises broader concerns about betting integrity within professional football, particularly involving high-profile players.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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