China’s Football Under Fire: Tackling Corruption With Lifetime Bans
As part of a crackdown on corruption, China has banned for life 43 football players and officials after a probe into match fixing and gambling.
China’s impressive performance in the Olympics has long been a reflection of its excellence in various sports. Without a doubt, it captured the admiration of fans, followers, and even the top Asian and European bookmakers. However, the nation’s success on the global stage has not translated to the football field. Actually, the latest results have been consistently disappointing. That is why, in a bid to weed out deceit in the country’s notoriously underperforming team sport, authorities launched an extensive corruption investigation. This led to the Chinese Football Association (CFA) announcing a shocking lifetime ban for football players and officials. What exactly prompted this drastic measure and who are the key figures in play?
Red Card for Corruption: Lifetime Ban for Football Players and Officials
To begin with, it is not just one or five individuals. In fact, authorities have penalized 38 football players and five officials from various clubs. Is this the largest group of players ever disciplined in the history of the sport? While significant, it is not the largest. For instance, the 2011 K-League scandal in South Korea saw 57 footballers banned for match fixing.
Now, back to 2024. The official Xinhua News Agency revealed the details of this sweeping action on Tuesday, September 10. That day, Zhang Xiaopeng, a senior official from the Ministry of Public Security, and Song Kai, the CFA president, attended a news conference in Dalian. Their objective? To announce the findings of a two-year investigation that uncovered a series of transgressions. Specifically, online gambling, match-fixing, and bribery cases.
Press conference in Dalian, Northeast China’s Liaoning province.
According to them, these severe violations of the law had taken a heavy toll on the sport’s integrity. In short, the results of the government’s anti-corruption campaign are as follows:
- 41 clubs implicated.
- 120 matches in domestic leagues investigated. The report did not specify whether all the matches were in China.
- 128 suspects arrested. Including players, coaches, and club officials. Among them, are 44 individuals with charges of bribery, gambling, and the illegal operation of casinos.
- 12 online gambling gangs dismantled by authorities as part of the broader crackdown.
Offside and Out: Key Players Named in Chinese Football's Match-Fixing Scandal
All right, but who are the players involved in this match-fixing scandal? During the conference, CFA President Song Kai revealed that 43 of the 44 individuals mentioned earlier got a lifetime ban from football-related activities. In addition, the authorities imposed shortened sanctions on 17 players and officials. For example, five-year bans for foreign players lured to China by the promise of high salaries. Such as Ewolo Donovan of Cameroon, who played for Heilongjiang Ice City. Four players who received lifetime bans are:
- Jin Jingdao: A former Chinese professional footballer. He was a midfielder for Shandong Taishan Football Club until 2022.
- Guo Tianyu: A Chinese professional footballer currently playing as a forward for Thai League 1 club Chiangrai United. He also played for Shandong Taishan Football Club until 2023.
- Gu Chao: A former Chinese professional footballer who was the goalkeeper for Zhejiang Pro until 2022.
- Son Jun-ho: A South Korean professional footballer. He was a defensive midfielder for China’s Shandong Taishan FC in 2023. Also, he played for Suwon FC until September 13, 2024. Notably, three days after the press conference, the K League 1 club terminated Son Jun-ho’s contract.
Lifetime Ban for Football Players and Officials: Son Jun-ho Fights Back
Three of the four players have not made any public comments. However, the one who did make quite a statement. South Korean midfielder Son Jun-ho returned to South Korea in March after spending 10 months in detention in China.
One day after the press conference in China, he held his own in his home country. There, Son protested his innocence, stating he was “dumbfounded” by the “ridiculous charges.” Furthermore, he claimed he received threats, saying, “If I didn’t admit to the charges, they would arrest my wife.” He maintained, “I said I hadn’t done anything like that.”
Son Jun-ho denies Chinese accusations of football match-fixing.
China's Football Struggles: Corruption Crackdown and World Cup Woes
Despite Son’s claims of coercion, the federation’s statement did not address these allegations. Instead, it emphasized that that Son’s actions gravely breached sports ethics and sportsmanship, resulting in a substantial negative impact on society. This reply is in line with the country’s stance on combating corruption. Specifically, no turning back, relaxing, or showing any mercy within the football hierarchy. The sport has struggled with corruption for a long time. And fans believe it has contributed to the men’s national team’s underperformance. It was no coincidence that the findings and the lifetime ban for football players and officials were announced ahead of a World Cup qualifier in Dalian later on Tuesday. There, Team China would host Saudi Arabia after last week’s humiliating 7-0 loss away to Japan. Unfortunately, China once again lost 2-1 against the Green Falcons.
News reports, including one from ESPN, exacerbated the situation by labeling Chinese football as a “notoriously underperforming sport,” despite President Xi Jinping’s pledge to enhance the competitiveness of home teams on the international stage. China faces significant challenges in its attempt to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, having only made it to the tournament once before, in 2002. Back then, it lost all three matches and scored no goals. What’s more, the men’s national team is 87th in the FIFA world rankings, positioned just behind Curaçao (population 150,000) and just ahead of Equatorial Guinea (1.7 million). This is despite China having a population of approximately 1.4 billion. Obviously, this is a huge issue so if you think the lifetime bans are the only measure being taken, think again.
Kicking Corruption Out: China's Ongoing Battle to Clean Up Football
This scandal is the latest in a series of efforts by China to clean up its football industry, which has long been plagued by corruption. In March, a court sentenced former CFA chairman Chen Xuyuan to life in prison for accepting bribes worth MOP88 million (£8.4 million/€9.98 million/$11 million). At the same time, former CFA vice president Wang Dengfeng received a 17-year sentence for embezzlement and bribery.
Five months later, another former vice president, Li Yuyi, got 11 years in prison for similar offenses, and a former director of the competition department received a seven-year sentence for accepting bribes.
Zhang Xin, Director of the General Administration of Sport’s competitive sports department, denounced these actions, calling them a “malignant tumor” that has eroded public trust and tarnished the sport’s reputation.
Chen Xuyuan at his trial.
Lifetime Ban for Football Players and Officials: Aiming for Glory
Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to make China a football superpower, but the men’s teams have struggled to gain traction. Efforts to build new pitches and hire staff have fallen short as the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent lifetime ban for football players and officials is the latest salvo in Beijing’s war on corruption in sports, reflecting the government’s commitment to cleaning up the industry.
As China continues its rigorous efforts to address corruption in football, the impact on the sport’s integrity and performance remains to be seen. With the Chinese team striving to reach at least fourth place in the third round of the Asia qualifiers and advance to the next stage, fans and bettors alike will be keen to follow their journey. To witness these crucial matches and stay updated on the latest developments, make sure to open a betting account via agent and join the excitement as the Chinese team battles for a spot on the world stage.
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