Reason why FIFA has issued two lifetime bans to football coaches
- FIFA has handed lifetime bans to many figures in football, but only two managers have ever been completely barred from the sport
- One of the bans was later reduced on appeal, allowing the individual to return after serving a shorter suspension
- The other case resulted in a permanent ban and a hefty fine after serious misconduct involving young players was uncovered
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FIFA has handed out sanctions and punishments to clubs, nations, players, referees, and even presidents over the years, but only a handful have faced lifetime bans.
Notable names include former FIFA vice president Jack Warner and ex-Brazilian FA chiefs Marco Polo del Nero and Ricardo Teixeira.
Source: Getty Images
A total of 63 players have also been banned for life, with offences ranging from match-fixing and doping to violent conduct against officials.
However, when it comes to managers, the list is far shorter—only Samson Siasia and Patrick Assoumou Eyi have been completely barred from coaching.
Why was Samson Siasia banned for life?
Siasia, a former striker who represented clubs such as Nantes and Al Hilal and lifted the Africa Cup of Nations during his playing days, also had two stints as head coach of Nigeria’s national team between 2010–2011 and again in 2016.
However, in 2019 FIFA handed him a lifetime ban after finding him guilty of “agreeing to receive bribes in connection with match manipulation.”
"The adjudicatory chamber of the independent ethics committee has found Siasia, a former official of the Nigeria Football Federation, guilty of having accepted that he would receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics," the governing body's official statement read.
He was barred from all football-related activities worldwide and fined 50,000 Swiss Francs after being linked to convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Peruma.
However, two years later, his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was partly successful, with the fine scrapped and his suspension reduced to five years.
Why was Patrick Assoumou Eyi banned for life?
Earlier this year, disgraced coach Patrick Assoumou Eyi was found guilty of repeatedly abusing several young players during his time in charge of Gabon’s youth team.
Allegations first surfaced in 2021, leading FIFA’s independent ethics committee to provisionally suspend him while an investigation was launched.
Eyi later admitted to exploiting young players and, in a ruling backed by FIFPro, the international players’ union, he was handed a lifetime ban and fined 1 million Swiss Francs (£878,000).
The statement from FIFA read:
"The investigation into Mr Eyi concerns complaints from at least four male football players who accused him of sexual abuse between 2006 and 2021. Most of these incidents occurred while the players were minors.
“In its decision, the adjudicatory chamber found that Mr Eyi had breached article 24 (Protection of physical and mental integrity) and article 26 (Abuse of position) of the Fifa code of ethics and sanctioned him with a lifetime ban from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level. In addition, a fine in the amount of CHF 1,000,000 has been imposed on Mr Eyi.”
Source: YEN.com.gh
