Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has received a two-month ban for alleged illegal betting.
Okoye avoided a far worse four-year suspension, according to Football Italia.
The situation erupted after he was booked for time-wasting in the 64th minute of Udinese’s Serie A clash with Lazio on 11 March, 2024.
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A rush of suspicious betting around the Nigeria international receiving a yellow card was flagged to the authorities, who launched an investigation.
The 25-year-old was investigated along with three friends and he was deferred to the disciplinary commission in June 2025.
Okoye will now miss Udinese’s Coppa Italia game against Carrarese on August 18, and six Serie A games.
He will only be available for selection again on October 19.
By Adeboye Amosu
2 Comments
I am glad he got only two months. He should be very careful next time. Your career should be protected like your life. He needs to be supported by professional managers to avoid this silly mistake again.
After many months of investigation, these guys still cannot tell the world the exact role Maduka played.
Did he place a bet with his friends…?
Did he recieve any payment for his efforts….?
I’m not a gambler neither do I get myself involved in sports betting, but is it so unusual for bets to be placed on a GK picking a card In a match…? A Huerlo Gomes, David James and more recently Andre Onana and our own Nwabali will win anyone tens of thousands for bets placed on them picking up a yellow card in a game, especially one in which their team is the underdog.
Okoye’s exact sins seem not to have an exact description. He’s just being accused and punished based on suspicions and not based on the burden of proof. This is the first time I’m hearing a player being suspended for just 2 months for a crime as serious as match/bet fixing.
It’s looking more like a case of “okay we can’t find anything against you, but you must still be punished”.
I hope the lad comes back stronger and better from all of these.