By Uzor Odigbo
A 21-day ultimatum has been issued by US Court to the world football body, FIFA, to respond to Samson Siasia’s suit challenging his coach licence ban and indictment for bribery.
TheNicheng.com obtained a copy of the summons issued on August 5, 2021, by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
FIFA has to file its response to the suit and serve its answer on the former Nigerian Super Eagles coach within 21 days of being served with the summons, the court clerk, S. James, who signed the document, stated.
“A lawsuit has been filed against you,” the summons’ opening reads, as the document explains further that FIFA would have been entitled to 60 days to respond to the suit if it were to be the U.S. government, its agency, or employee.
It warns that the consequence of failing to comply with the summons is that a default judgment, a sort of a walkover judicial victory, will be delivered in Siasia’s favour.
”The answer or motion must be served on the plaintiff or plaintiff’s attorney, whose name and address are: If you fail to respond, judgment by default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the complaint.
“You also must file your answer or motion with the court.”
It was reported that Siasia filed his suit at the U.S. court on August 2, 2021, to challenge FIFA’s ban on his coach licence and conviction for bribery.
Premium Times also reported that FIFA in its verdict published on August 16, 2019, FIFA, in addition to placing a lifetime ban on Siasia’s coach licence, imposed a monetary fine of 50,000 Swiss Francs on him.
Following his appeal against the decision, a Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) panel, in its decision handed down on June 21, 2021, reduced the lifetime ban on his coach licence to five years and dismissed the monetary fine.
It, for instance, described the lifetime ban with the monetary fine of 50,000 Swiss Francs imposed on Siasia by FIFA, as cruel and unusual punishment.
It added that the punishment was disproportionate to the offence of bribery.
Still dissatisfied with the CAS panel’s decision, Siasia filed his suit at the U.S. court seeking an annulment of “the lifetime or any ban” on his coach licence.
He also wants the court to order FIFA to make “global public retraction of guilty verdict of accepting bribe” handed down against him.
Disturbed by the reputational and professional injury FIFA’s verdict has caused him, Siasia also seeks “compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and court costs” in respect of each of the four charges he raised against FIFA.
Siasia’s travails
Siasia’s travails started when he was approached by a match-fixer, Wilson Perumal, in 2010, offering him a job with an Australian club.
In email conversations between the two of them, Perumal revealed how he intended to run the club fixing matches behind the scene without involving Siasia, who would only be expected to strictly face his job
as the head coach.
The email conversations quoted copiously in his suit, show Siasia agreeing to play along while also being cautious about a backlash it may bring.
He proposed the monetary terms of the contract that parties had to agree to for him to take up the job.
“Am I going to pay taxes on this amount if agreed and what about signing fees, accommodation, and car?” Siasia asked.
“Also need to know about flight tickets for me and my family. I will be waiting for your soonest response because I have other offers I am looking at,” Siasia added in one of the correspondences
