Udinese and Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has been cleared of match fixing but found guilty of sporting misconduct.
The allegations emerged after he deliberately sought a yellow card during the league match against Lazio in March 2024.
The suspicious booking triggered an investigation into abnormal betting patterns related to that specific incident, and he has now been hit with a two-month ban for breaching fair play regulations.
The Italian FA confirmed Okoye was found not guilty of match-fixing or direct gambling but was flagged for “time-wasting” incidents.
Udinese have released a statement, saying they are satisfied with the outcome.
“The Federal Tribunal of the FIGC has today excluded any involvement of the player Maduka Okoye in sporting fraud, fully accepting the arguments put forward by his lawyers,” read a statement from Udinese.
“The club is satisfied that the athlete has been totally cleared of the insulting allegations of match-fixing.
“The club cannot help but reaffirm the maximum support to Okoye, who is waiting to read the motivation of the sentencing.”
The two-month ban will commence at the beginning of the 2025/26 season.
The 24-year-old escaped a serious charge of sporting fraud that could have resulted in a four-year ban.
