Udinese and Nigeria international goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, 25, has been handed a two-month suspension by Italian football authorities for illegal betting, effective from August 18 to October 19, 2025.
The ban will see him miss the start of the 2025-26 Serie A season.
The suspension follows 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, triggering an influx of bets placed at 8/1 odds, which generated over €120,000 in winnings, primarily from the Udine region.
This raised concerns, leading to an investigation of Okoye and three associates in June 2025.Initially facing a potential four-year ban for sporting fraud, Okoye was found guilty of the lesser charge of illegal betting.
The 25-year-old, who transferred to Udinese from Watford in 2023 and has 18 caps for Nigeria, will miss Udinese’s Coppa Italia match against Carrarese on August 18 and six Serie A games.
Udinese plans to rely on Razvan Sava as their primary goalkeeper during Okoye’s absence, with no plans to sign a replacement.
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