The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has banned 38 players and five club officials for life following a two-year probe into match-fixing and gambling, marking the latest effort by authorities to crackdown on corruption in the country’s soccer scene.
The probe, which uncovered the manipulation of 120 matches involving 41 football clubs, has resulted in criminal penalties for 44 individuals, including former Chinese internationals Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu, Gu Chao, and South Korean player Son Jun-ho.
“Severe violations of law, such as match-fixing, gambling, and bribery, have taken a heavy toll on the sport’s integrity,” Zhang Xiaopeng, a senior Ministry of Public Security official, said at a press conference in Dalian.
The investigation found that 44 individuals had engaged in bribery, gambling, and the illegal operation of casinos. CFA President Song Kai confirmed that 43 of them were banned for life from any football-related activities, while 17 others received five-year bans.
The government’s anti-corruption campaign has also led to the arrest of 128 suspects, including players, coaches, and club officials. Authorities dismantled 12 online gambling gangs as part of the broader crackdown.
The scandal is the latest in a string of efforts by China to clean up its soccer industry, which has long been plagued by corruption. In March, the former chairman of the CFA was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery, and in August, a former vice president of the association received an 11-year prison sentence for similar offenses.
Zhang Xin, Director of the General Administration of Sport’s competitive sports department, condemned the actions, describing them as a “malignant tumor” that has undermined public trust and damaged the reputation of the sport.
The crackdown has coincided with renewed criticism of China’s men’s national soccer team, which has struggled to perform on the international stage. After a humiliating 7-0 defeat to Japan in a recent World Cup qualifier, Team China faces long odds in its bid to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, having only qualified once before, in 2002.
With 128 suspects already arrested and corruption deeply rooted in the system, authorities have vowed to maintain a tough stance. “We will continue the crackdown on gambling, match-fixing, result manipulation, and bribery,” Zhang Xiaopeng said.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/noticias/2024/09/13/78477-china-bans-43-soccer-players-officials-for-life-in-matchfixing-scandal
