Siasia loses appeal against FIFA sanction in US court

Former Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia has lost his lawsuit against world soccer’s governing body FIFA in a United States Court of Appeals.

Siasia, who also played for the Nigerian national team before becoming a manager, was seeking to overturn a lifetime ban, later reduced to five years, for match-fixing.

As Reuters reported, a 3-0 decision was handed down in favor of FIFA at the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan on Thursday.

The court ruled that Siasia failed to show why a trial court in New York had jurisdiction over her case.

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In August 2021, PREMIUM TIMES reported how Siasia’s woes began when he was approached by a match fixer, Wilson Perumal, in 2010, while looking for work with an Australian club.

In one of the few emails exchanged between Perumal and Siasia and spotted by this newspaper, Siasia seemed eager to land the job he was offered despite some of the illegal clauses pushed by the match-fixer.

“You have a reputation as a silver medalist coach at the Beijing Olympics. I wish to be transparent with you on this matter. I’m going to take over a club. I want to hire you as head coach. It is an Australian ‘A’ league team.

“You know the nature of my business. I will personally bring 5 players and dictate the show. You will do your coaching job and play along. I won’t drag you into what I’m doing. My players will receive instructions from me. You will only have to close one eye and do your coaching job. There is no relegation in this league. Nobody can fire you. How much salary are you going to ask for? Perumal said in one of his emails to Siasia.

Although he sought to learn the additional details of the monetary terms he was offered, Siasia was also cautious in his approach.

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

“I also need to know about plane tickets for me and my family. I will be waiting for your quickest response because I have other offers that I am looking at,” Siasia added in a correspondence.

The evidence established against Siasia by FIFA led to his ban, effectively preventing him from using his USA Soccer Federation coaching license and also barring him from any further involvement in soccer globally.

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Siasia, an Atlanta resident, sued FIFA in August 2021, saying the evidence was “grossly insufficient” and that the ban violated his due process rights under the US Constitution.

But the appeals court said Siasia failed to show FIFA was “essentially at home” in New York, or agreed to be sued there because it barred him from using what Siasia called his “New York” coaching license.

The unsigned decision confirmed the dismissal of Siasia’s claim by a Manhattan trial judge in October 2021, even as FIFA maintained that the former Nigeria international’s claims were unsubstantiated.