Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has been handed a two-month suspension by the FIGC, despite being cleared of direct involvement in match-fixing allegations.
The 25-year-old Udinese shot-stopper was at the centre of an investigation after he received a yellow card for time-wasting during a Serie A match against Lazio in March 2024.
Suspicion arose when it emerged that a close friend of Okoye, who owns a pizzeria in Udine, won over €120,000 from a bet predicting that the keeper would be booked during the game.
Following weeks of scrutiny, the FIGC National Federal Court ruled this week that Okoye did not deliberately fix the match or cooperate with any betting scam.
However, the court concluded that he violated the general principle of fairness under Article 4 of the Federal Sports Justice Code, a lesser but still punishable offence.
As a result, Okoye will be banned from playing between August 18, 2025, and October 19, 2025, forcing him to miss seven matches, including six in Serie A and one in the Coppa Italia.
In an official statement, Udinese expressed satisfaction that their player was cleared of any match-fixing wrongdoing, insisting they are “firmly convinced of Maduka’s proper conduct.”
The club also underlined its full support for the Nigerian international as he awaits the full reasons for the decision.
Okoye, who joined Udinese in 2023, had faced the possibility of a four-year ban if found guilty of sporting fraud.
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