The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has reduced the life ban placed on former Nigerian coach, Samson Siasia by FIFA to five years.
CAS delivered its long-awaited appeal verdict on Monday.
The court also dismissed the fine of CHF 50,000 (fifty thousand Swiss Francs) he was ordered to pay.
“The imposition of a life ban to be disproportionate for a first offence which was committed passively and which had not had an adverse or immediate effect on football stakeholders,” the court said.
Newsmen recalls that Siasia was banned by the world football governing body for life, following a match-fixing probe.
Siasia led Nigeria to two Olympic medals in men’s football.
His playing and coaching career had standout moments for Nigeria against Argentina.
At the 1994 World Cup, Siasia scored the game’s opening goal in Nigeria’s 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the group stage.
He coached Nigeria’s team to the gold-medal match at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, losing 1-0 in the final to an Argentina team starring Lionel Messi.
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