Super Eagles star handed two-month ban for illegal betting

Super Eagles and Udinese goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, 25, has been suspended for two months after being found guilty of illegal betting by Italian football authorities.

The ban will run from August 18 to October 19, 2025, sidelining the Nigerian international for the start of the new Serie A season.

According to Football Italia, the ban stems from unlawful conduct related to suspicious betting activity, flagged during Udinese’s 2-1 victory over Lazio on March 11, 2024, at the Dacia Arena.

Okoye was booked for time-wasting in the 64th minute, prompting a wave of unusual bets centred around him receiving a yellow card.

Investigators uncovered that bets placed at odds of 8/1 resulted in over €120,000 in winnings, mostly originating from the Udine region, raising red flags. Okoye and three friends were placed under investigation and referred to the disciplinary commission in June 2025.

While there were initial fears that the 25-year-old could face a four-year suspension for sporting fraud, the authorities opted for a lesser charge of illegal betting, for which he was found guilty.

Okoye, who joined Udinese from Watford in the summer of 2023, has made several appearances for the club and earned 18 caps for Nigeria.

During his suspension, Udinese are expected to turn to Razvan Sava as the first-choice goalkeeper, rather than signing a replacement.

The ban will begin with Udinese’s Coppa Italia tie against Carrarese on August 18 and sees Okoye miss six Serie A matches before returning to action on October 19.