By Jennifer Amarachi
Ex-Super Eagles Coach,!Samson Siasia has declared that he feels renewed and eager to pursue his longtime passion for coaching following his return to full-fledged football activity.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Siasia, a well-known former Super Eagles player and coach, has served his FIFA suspension for a match-fixing allegation.
Initially a lifetime ban, the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced it to five years in 2019.
Siasia talked on the sidelines of an event hosted by friends and parents of Siaone Soccer Academy to commemorate his return to full football activity on Saturday in Abuja.
He acknowledged that the previous five years had been plagued with agony and emotional anguish.
He stated that the ban was unexpected and terrible, and that it was for an offence he never committed. He claimed that he was charged, investigated, tried, and sentenced without being notified or given the opportunity to defend himself.
“I was never informed that I was under investigation for any allegation against me.
“I did not have the opportunity to defend myself even once before I was banned.
“I was prevented from fully practising my only profession, the game of football.
“But I thank God that the night is over, the day is here at last, and I am free again to practise my profession with my usual honesty and sincerity.
“In my almost 25-year coaching career, I have fiercely guarded and maintained my ideals and character with unwavering honesty.
“I have never and will never partake in bribery, corruption, or dirty deals of any sort.”
The 57-year-old tactician, however, stated that he remained profoundly attached to football and that the suspension did not hinder him from updating his understanding of the game. He emphasized his single desire to see Nigeria flourish and recover its due place among the world’s successful football-playing nations.
“I wish to inform my supporters across Nigeria and beyond that I did not spend the last five years idly or in lamentation.
“Not one day out of the 1,826 days was wasted in agony or hopelessness.
“It was a period of serious reflection and painstaking updating, and close appraisal of the dynamics of the game of my youth and adulthood.
“Today, I am back more resolved, more
determined, more committed, and unbowed. For five years, I was down, but I am certainly not out because it is not over.
“I am returning to the game renewed and prepared to continue with my lifelong passion,” he said.
Siasia thanked everyone who supported him throughout difficult times, including his family, supporters, and sports media.
He thanked the Siaone Soccer Academy Friends and Parents Committee for sponsoring the event in his honour.
