According to reports, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) has issued lifetime bans to 38 players and five club officials following a two-year investigation into match-fixing and gambling.
The probe uncovered the fixing of 120 matches involving 41 clubs, though it is unclear if all the games occurred in China.
Prominent players, including former Chinese internationals Jin Jingdao and Gu Chao, as well as South Korean midfielder Son Jun-ho, were among those banned.
Son’s agent, Park Dae-yeon, has dismissed the accusations as “ridiculous,” and plans to hold a press conference to present their side of the story.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, this crackdown revealed that at least 120 matches had been fixed, implicating 41 clubs in various capacities.
The investigation also led to criminal penalties for 44 individuals involved in bribery, gambling, and illegal casinos, with 43 of them permanently banned from football and 17 others handed five-year bans.
Corruption has been a longstanding issue in Chinese football, which many believe has contributed to the men’s national team’s poor performance.
In recent months, former CFA officials have faced severe sentences for corruption, including a former vice-president receiving an 11-year sentence and a former chairman sentenced to life in prison.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
