My name is Coach Samson Siasia [a.k.a. ‘World Cup’] and I am reaching out to Nigerians and the world at large to let them know that despite every effort I am using to push forward my Appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) I have been harassed, bruised and pushed on all sides by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
FIFA told the world that I have been banned for life for match fixing and bribery and therefore it banned me not only for life but fined me 50,000.00 CHF (Swiss Francs) which is equivalent to $49,000, as well.
I am calling out to Nigerians here and in the Diaspora around the world and to the rest of the World, to take note of what FIFA did and relied on in concluding that I ‘match fixed’ and took a ‘bribe’ or ‘bribes’; whether there was any football match I actually ‘match fixed’ or ‘bribes’ I received anywhere in the world upon which FIFA relied to justify banning me for life, and for which FIFA fined me so heavily.
I have been left to fend for myself like a little ‘David’ against a juggernaut ‘Goliath’ like FIFA, without money or other resources to defend myself. I am a sports ambassador for our dear Country and the implications of the outcome of my Appeal will also affect our Country Nigeria. I do need ALL your support.
Since FIFA’s life time ban in August 2019, my lawyers informed me that the Court of Arbitration for Sports [CAS] has set 19 March 2020 for the hearing of my Appeal in Lausanne, Switzerland. For me to attend my own hearing and cater for the necessary expenses for this Appeal is beyond me at the moment.
The facts of the case in summary is that almost ten years ago, between March and April 2010, whilst unemployed for about 6 months after my last employment with the NFF as Coach, a man that I did not know and who claimed to be ‘Aishal Iqbal’ and later Mr ‘Wilson Perumal’, attempted to head hunt me for a coaching job for an unnamed club in the Australian A-League. All my negotiations for the job and coaching terms with this man are contained in a series of emails between 18 March 2010 and 13 April 2010.
Please note At this Appeal, FIFA finally revealed that it deliberately relied on parts of the email exchanges between 29 March and 12 April 2010 at the time to ban me for life although it obviously had all the emails. This was to enable FIFA falsely claim that I was the one who approached this Aisha Iqbal or Wilson Perumal character and not the other way around. That I actively pursued this person when in actual fact he was headhunting me for a coaching job. FIFA claims that I knew him very well and had been doing business with him, which is absolute falsehood!
This person who approached me was apparently not happy with my terms and abruptly
terminated our negotiations saying an Argentinian had been selected because my terms were too high. The club remains unnamed up till date. FIFA has not bothered to investigate this up till date. I did not receive any money. I did not get the job.
FIFA basically banned me for life and fined me heavily on the ground that I entertained negotiations with this character and did not discontinue negotiations for the coaching job.
