Maduka Okoye has finally spoken from a personal angle after completing his two month betting suspension in Italy, Footynaija.com reports.
The Super Eagles goalkeeper returned to Udinese on 20 October, and he is slowly working his way back into Eric Chelle’s plans after a long spell without competitive action. He has explained that the mental side of the ban hit him more than anything on the pitch.
For a goalkeeper who had been out since mid August, the return was always going to carry pressure. Udinese threw him straight in for the 1-1 draw away at Cremonese, and the technical crew noted some rust in his second match back.
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Okoye still pushed through the moment, and the numbers from the Juventus match on 30 October showed a stronger picture, with nine saves and an 8.2 rating, per Soccernet.
According to a report by Pulse Sports, Okoye admitted that returning from a lengthy suspension demanded patience and support from those around him.
“I was out of the game for a while, and it is always hard when you do not have football, but the goalkeeping coaches and the other lads have always helped me,” the 26-year-old explained.
“I feel good and I am happy. I want to keep growing and learn something new every day.”
As revealed in an earlier report, Okoye was sanctioned after an FIGC investigation into irregular betting activity linked to his yellow card in Udinese versus Lazio on 11 March. The Italian authorities cleared him of match fixing allegations but handed him a two month ban under Article 4 for breaching fair conduct rules.
