China has imposed a lifetime suspension on 43 soccer players and officials for match-fixing

After a two-year investigation into match-fixing and gambling, the Chinese Football Association has issued life bans to 38 soccer players and five club officials as part of a campaign against corruption in one of China’s most prominent sports sectors.

Zhang Xiaopeng, a senior official from the Ministry of Public Security, disclosed at a press conference in Dalian that 120 matches had been rigged, with 41 football clubs participating, as reported by the official Xinhua News Agency.

It was not specified in the report whether all of the matches were played in China.
On Tuesday, the ministry and the General Administration of Sport of China held a press conference at which the CFA president was also present. The findings revealed that three former Chinese internationals, Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu, and Gu Chao, as well as South Korean player Son Jun-ho, were banned for life.

However, none of the participants have issued any public statements. The son was released in March after being detained in China for a period of ten months and subsequent return to South Korea.

According to Zhang, 44 individuals were subjected to criminal penalties for bribery, gambling, and the unlawful establishment of casinos, while 17 others were discovered to have engaged in bribery and match-fixing.

CFA President Song Kai announced that 43 of the 44 individuals had been permanently prohibited from participating in football-related activities, while 17 others were issued five-year prohibitions.

The research was disclosed prior to a World Cup qualifier in Dalian on Tuesday, where Team China will host Saudi Arabia following their 7-0 defeat to Japan last week.

The underperformance of the men’s national team has been attributed by supporters to the sport’s long-standing struggle with corruption.

China, in turn, has intensified its efforts to combat corruption associated with soccer.

In August, a former vice president of the national football association was sentenced to 11 years in prison for receiving bribes, while a former director of the competition department was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for the same charge.

A life sentence of imprisonment was imposed on a former chairman of the CFA in March.