Maduka Okoye, the 25-year-old goalkeeper for Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Italian club Udinese, has been suspended for two months by Italian football authorities after being found guilty of illegal betting.
The ban, which runs from August 18 to October 19, 2025, will see Okoye miss the start of the upcoming Serie A season.
According to Football Italia, the suspension follows an investigation into suspicious betting activity linked to Udinese’s 2–1 win over Lazio on March 11, 2024, at the Dacia Arena. Okoye received a yellow card for time-wasting in the 64th minute—an incident that triggered a wave of unusual bets specifically predicting the booking.
Authorities discovered over €120,000 in winnings from bets placed at odds of 8/1, with most wagers traced to the Udine region. The findings prompted an investigation involving Okoye and three associates, who were referred to the disciplinary commission in June 2025.
Although there were concerns that Okoye could face a four-year ban for sporting fraud, the charge was reduced to illegal betting, for which he was found guilty.
Okoye joined Udinese from English side Watford in the summer of 2023 and has since made several appearances for the club, as well as earning 18 international caps for Nigeria.
In his absence, Udinese are expected to rely on Razvan Sava as their starting goalkeeper, opting not to sign a replacement during the suspension.
The ban will take effect starting with Udinese’s Coppa Italia match against Carrarese on August 18 and will see Okoye miss six Serie A fixtures before he becomes eligible to return on October 19.
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