Nigeria international Maduka Okoye has been handed a two-month from football over involvement in betting scandal.
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.
Okoye controversy started in March 2024
The situation erupted during the Serie A match between Udinese and Lazio on March 11, 2024, when he was booked for time-wasting with his team leading 2-1 at the 64th minute.
A rush of suspicious betting activity around the 25-year-old receiving a yellow card was flagged to the authorities, who launched an investigation.
They found that most of those bets, which at 8/1 odds allegedly generated over €120,000 in winnings, were based around the provinces of Udine.
Okoye was investigated along with three friends and he was deferred to the disciplinary commission in June 2025.
It was feared he could be banned for four years if found guilty of sporting fraud, but the authorities opted to only convict for the lesser charge of illegal betting.
The two-month ban will start from the opening competitive match of the 2025-26 season, which is the Coppa Italia game against Carrarese on August 18.
He will therefore miss six Serie A rounds and be available again from October 19.
Okoye has 18 caps for his country, Nigeria, and moved to Udinese from Watford in 2023.
