Maduka Okoye’s lawyer dismisses betting allegations as baseless

By Olaolu Joseph

Maduka Okoye’s legal representative, Maurizio Conti, has dismissed as baseless the betting allegations leveled against the Nigerian international.

Okoye was arrested alongside two others over allegations of giving tips to a friend to place a bet that he would receive a yellow card in the Serie A match between Udinese and Lazio.

He was booked for time-wasting towards the end of the game, with his team leading by a lone goal. A sudden spike in bets related to him being carded raised suspicions among the authorities, who used algorithms to trace a friend and another associate of Okoye who placed the bets.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Okoye’s house and locker at Udinese’s sports center were searched by the police shortly before Christmas.

“They didn’t find anything significant for the investigation, just a pair of gloves and some soccer shoes,” his lawyer, Maurizio Conti, said.

Conti added: “What were the chances that Udinese would be ahead in Rome, creating the circumstances for a yellow card to the goalkeeper? In fact, in that role, they practically only get a yellow card for wasting time.”

The allegations have already cost Okoye his place at Udinese, as he has been removed from the list of registered players for the second half of the season.