Nigerian Super Eagles and Udinese Calcio goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, has been handed a two-month suspension by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) following his involvement in a betting scandal. The decision, announced on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, comes after an investigation into suspicious betting activity linked to a Serie A match.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper was found guilty of a lesser charge of illegal betting, narrowly avoiding a potentially career-ending four-year ban for sporting fraud. The controversy stems from a Serie A encounter between Udinese and Lazio on March 11, 2024, during which Okoye received a yellow card for time-wasting in the 64th minute.

Authorities initiated an inquiry after detecting an abnormal surge in betting patterns, specifically wagers predicting a yellow card for Okoye. Reports indicate that most of these bets, placed at 8/1 odds, originated from the Udine region and collectively generated over €120,000 in winnings. Investigations revealed that a close friend of Okoye, who owns a pizzeria in Udine, had placed bets on the yellow card incident.

The case was prosecuted by the federal prosecutor’s office, which had initially feared it could be linked to sporting fraud. However, the FIGC’s National Federal Tribunal, after a thorough disciplinary inquiry, opted to convict him solely for the violation of the general principle of fairness (Article 4 of the Federal Sports Justice Code), effectively clearing him of the more serious match-fixing accusations.

Udinese Calcio has released a statement expressing satisfaction with the court’s conclusion that the player was not involved in match-fixing, reiterating their full support for Okoye.

The two-month suspension will commence on August 18, 2025, coinciding with Udinese’s Coppa Italia fixture against Carrarese. As a result, Okoye is expected to miss six Serie A matches and will be eligible to return to action on October 19, 2025.

Okoye, who has earned 18 caps for the Nigerian national team, joined Udinese from English club Watford in 2023. This ban adds to a growing list of professional footballers facing disciplinary action over betting rule breaches in recent years, underscoring football authorities’ strict stance on maintaining the integrity of the sport.