Nigeria international goalkeeper Maduka Okoye who is in the eye of the storm following a raid at his house as part of investigation into a betting scandal have been removed from the list of registered players by Italian Serie A side Udinese, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Okoye is facing the prospect of a five year ban from football if found guilty of deliberately picking up a yellow card in their game against Lazio in the Italian Serie A.
With Udinese leading 2-1, Okoye was issued a yellow card for time wasting in the 90th minute, which can be seen as normal, but betting patterns on the goalkeeper receiving a yellow has prompted investigators into sensing it as an anomaly.
According to Messaggero Veneto, the prosecutor office in Udine opened an investigation into the yellow card following reports of a series of bets for significant amounts linked to his yellow card during the match against Lazio played on 11 March 2024.
The house of the Nigerian goalkeeper was searched by investigators alongside that of another suspect, Diego Giordano, owner of a pizzeria frequented by Juventus footballers. Following a complaint by a betting agency Sisal, through an algorithm created to identify anomalies.
Udinese have now replaced him in their list of registered players for the season with newly signed goalkeeper Egil Selvik in their 25 man squad for the season, although it’s not clear if it’s due to the allegations or the wrist injury which will likely keep him out for the rest of the season.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
