Former Super Eagles Chief Coach, Samson Siasia who recently returned from a five-year ban by FIFA has denied any wrongdoing saying he neither took bribe or plotted to fix any match as widely presumed. He spoke at an event organised by his committee of friends, mostly made up of parents of Siaone Soccer Academy which the former Super Eagles winger founded about a decade ago in Abuja.
The event took place in the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, which is also the base of Mr Siasia’s Siaone academy. Mr Siasia said that he is returning from the ban with renewed zeal, energy and greater commitment.
He said that during the last five years, he remained in contact with the coaches association as well as took coaching courses with a view to keeping himself updated on the latest trends in the game of football.
“I did my coaching license in America. So, I’m taking some courses there too. I can’t just sit down and just be dormant.,” he stated.
Mr Siasia said that through his personal efforts, he travelled to Côte d’Ivoire to watch and monitor the last AFCON. “I knew that I was coming back and had to prepare myself. I was trying to prepare myself quietly in different ways. Nobody supported me. Only my governor (Senator Douye Diri of Bayelsa State) supported me to go and watch the AFCON in Ivory Coast.
“I was doing all that because I knew that the ban would end one day. The coaching courses are not cheap. To do a coaching course in America, you have to pay $30,000.
Mr Siasia said that the ban came to him as a shock, adding that it was over an offense he never committed as he never stole or took bribe to warrant such a punishment.
He stressed that he didn’t steal, fix match nor took bribe stressing that he was charged, investigated, tried and sentenced without his knowledge.
“I was not coaching Nigeria. I was not managing any other country…and I was not a football agent when I was charged in absentia and punished.
“What happened to me was a shocking and unbelievable experience. But I have decided to put all that transpired behind me to focus on the present and future tasks.
“I was never informed that I was under investigation over any allegation against me.
I did not have the chance to defend myself for one second before I was banned.
Insisting on his innocence, honesty and integrity, Mr Siasia said:
“I grew up in Ajegunle”. You know how hard Ajegunle is and I never stole anything. I am someone who tries to do everything right. I started playing street football at an early age. With that street football, I went to primary school. We went through primary school games and all that.
“If your father had 11 children and all of them had to stay in one room, you know how hard it could be; it can be very tough. So, of one person just gets out of that and becomes somebody, all the whole problem would be placed on that person. So, I had to take care of the 11 children at an early age. I went to Europe very early and had to take care of all my younger ones.”
He said that having gone through such a tough route in life to get to the level he has attained makes him to guard his personal integrity and character closely.
He said it was unbelievable that not even the NFF which has affiliation with FIFA informed him that he was under investigation until he was banned by the world football governing body.
“I didn’t have any affiliation with FIFA; so FIFA went through the NFF. NFF didn’t inform me; they didn’t tell me anything. Not until the ban itself that the NFF President called me and said, ‘Coach didn’t you know FIFA was looking for you?’
“How would I know FIFA was looking for me? I’m not affiliated to FIFA.
“But to start with, I did not take any money; there was no bribe. The guy was trying to get me a club in Australia. At the end of the day, the guy said, sorry we have hired another coach,” Mr Siasia stressed that he doesn’t still know how bribery came into the picture,“ Mr Siasia stated.
