US court dismisses Siasia’s appeal over FIFA ban

A US court of appeal sitting in New York has dismissed an appeal brought before it by Samson Siasia, former Super Eagles coach, seeking to overturn his five-year ban.

READ ALSO: New York Court Dismisses Siasia’s Case Against FIFA

In a judgment delivered by a three-member panel on Thursday, the court ruled that Siasia failed to establish why a court in New York had jurisdiction over the case.

In a 3-0 decision on Thursday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said Siasia did not show why a trial court in New York had jurisdiction over his case.

In 2019, FIFA imposed a lifetime ban on Siasia, saying he violated its code of ethics over a bribery scheme for Australian matches. The ban prevented Siasia from using his U.S. Soccer Federation coaching license.

Siasia, an Atlanta resident and former Nigerian striker, sued FIFA in August 2021, saying the evidence was “grossly insufficient” and that the ban violated his due process rights under the U.S. Constitution.

But the appeals court said Siasia did not show that FIFA was “essentially at home” in New York, or agreed to be sued there because it banned his use of what Siasia called his “New York” coaching license from its alleged New York “agent,” U.S. Soccer.

The unsigned decision upheld a Manhattan trial judge’s October 2021 dismissal of Siasia’s lawsuit.

Siasia’s lawyer Nitor Egbarin said the decision might be the “end of the road” for the case, but he would discuss it with his client.

FIFA has said Siasia’s claims were meritless.

The soccer body is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, and had banned Siasia under Swiss law.

In June 2021, the Court of Arbitration for Sport shortened the ban, calling it too severe for a first offence.