Chinese soccer authorities issued lifetime bans to 43 people for his or her alleged involvement in playing and match-fixing, together with three former China internationals and South Korean World Cup participant Son Jun-ho, state media reported Tuesday.
The sweeping motion is a part of President Xi Jinping’s intensified efforts to root out corruption in Chinese sports activities, notably soccer, with a number of prime officers already jailed.
Xi, a self-professed soccer fanatic, has expressed his dream of China internet hosting and successful the World Cup. However, that ambition appears extra distant than ever, following repeated corruption scandals and years of disappointing on-field outcomes.
According to state media, the 43 banned people, largely gamers, have been amongst 128 individuals implicated in a two-year investigation into unlawful playing and match-fixing in home soccer, China’s public safety ministry mentioned.
The news got here hours earlier than a 2026 World Cup qualifier between China and Saudi Arabia, and fewer than per week after the nationwide workforce suffered a humiliating 7-0 defeat to rivals Japan.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) accused Son, who performed for Shandong Taishan within the Chinese Super League, of taking part in match-fixing and accepting bribes.
The worldwide midfielder, who performed in three of South Korea’s 4 matches on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, returned to South Korea in March after being held in China since May 2023. Beijing authorities mentioned he was detained “on suspicion of accepting bribes by non-state employees” however didn’t present additional particulars.
Also on the lifetime ban checklist is former Chinese worldwide Jin Jingdao, who additionally performed for Shandong Taishan.
Ex-chief jailed
China’s soccer governing physique has additionally come underneath scrutiny, with about 10 high-ranking CFA officers introduced down in corruption investigations to this point.
In March, the federal government handed a lifetime jail sentence to Chen Xuyuan, the previous chairman of the CFA, for receiving what it referred to as “particularly huge” bribes, saying his actions “seriously damaged fair competition and order.”
Chen used his place on the CFA and different organizations to “illegally accept sums of money from others totaling 81.03 million yuan ($11 million),” the Communist Party-run People’s Daily newspaper reported. His actions “caused serious consequences for the national football industry,” it added.
In the identical month, Li Tie, former head coach of China’s nationwide workforce and an ex-Everton midfielder, pleaded responsible to accepting over $10.7 million in bribes and serving to repair matches.
In May, state broadcaster CCTV reported that Gou Zhongwen, former director of the General Administration of Sport of China, was underneath investigation for corruption.
In August, a Chinese court docket sentenced Li Yuyi, a former vice chairman of the CFA, to 11 years in jail for taking bribes. He was additionally fined $140,000, and property obtained by way of corruption have been confiscated and turned over to the state, the court docket mentioned.
Source: www.dailysabah.com