The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has imposed lifetime bans on 38 soccer players and five club officials following a two-year investigation into match-fixing and gambling, marking a significant move in China’s ongoing crackdown on corruption within its popular sport.
The investigation, which examined 120 fixed matches involving 41 football clubs, was revealed at a press conference in Dalian, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Zhang Xiaopeng, a senior official from the Ministry of Public Security, stated that the investigation uncovered widespread corruption, though it did not specify if all the matches were domestic.
High-profile players affected by the bans include former Chinese internationals Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu, and Gu Chao, as well as South Korean player Son Jun-ho, who had been detained in China for 10 months before returning to South Korea in March.
“Forty-four individuals face criminal penalties for bribery, gambling, and the illegal operation of casinos,” said Zhang, adding that 17 others were implicated in bribery and match-fixing.
CFA President Song Kai noted that 43 of those facing charges had been permanently banned from football-related activities, while 17 others received five-year bans.
This announcement came just before China hosted Saudi Arabia in a World Cup qualifier in Dalian, following a heavy 7-0 loss to Japan.
Corruption has long been blamed for the underperformance of China’s men’s national team, and the government has intensified efforts to tackle soccer-related graft.
In recent months, multiple high-ranking officials have faced severe punishments.
A former CFA vice president received an 11-year prison sentence for bribery in August, while a former competition department director was sentenced to seven years. In March, a former CFA chairman was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Source-CNN
