Udinese and Super Eagles goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, has been slapped with a two-month suspension by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).
Maduka Okoye’s ban comes following a disciplinary ruling tied to a controversial betting-related incident during the 2023/2024 Serie A season.
Okoye, 24, was found guilty of sporting misconduct after allegedly provoking a yellow card in a match against Lazio. Investigators believe that the move was influenced by abnormal betting activity surrounding that particular moment in the game.
The FIGC’s investigation, triggered by irregular betting patterns, concluded that Okoye “intentionally committed an act” aimed at manipulating the outcome of bets placed on the match.
The federation’s Disciplinary Section of the National Federal Tribunal confirmed the ban in a statement released on Tuesday.
“The National Federal Tribunal, Disciplinary Section, definitively ruling, imposes on Mr Emil Maduka Okoye the sanction of two (2) months of disqualification in official matches, starting from the beginning of the first official competition of the 2025/2026 sporting season,” the ruling stated.
Okoye’s suspension is set to begin with Udinese’s first competitive fixture of the new campaign, a Coppa Italia clash against Carrarese on August 18, and will see him miss five subsequent Serie A matches. He is expected to return to eligibility by October 19, when Udinese travel to face Cremonese.
Note that Maduka Okoye, who was once Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper, has struggled to maintain consistency since the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. His form has fluctuated, and this latest development could further complicate his future with both Udinese and the Nigerian national team.
At the time of writing, Okoye has not issued any public statement in response to the ban.
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