By Paul Joseph
The Chinese Football Association has imposed lifetime bans on 73 individuals, including former national team head coach Li Tie, and has sanctioned 13 prominent professional clubs for match-fixing and corruption.
Under President Xi Jinping, a crackdown on corruption has swept through Chinese football in recent years, revealing significant issues within the professional sport.
Numerous high-ranking officials within the Chinese Football Association (CFA) have been dismissed, and many players have faced bans due to match-fixing and gambling activities.
A statement released on Thursday evening did not clarify when the latest match-fixing incidents occurred or the specifics of their operation.
The penalties were enacted following a “systematic review” and were deemed necessary “to enforce industry discipline, purify the football environment, and uphold fair competition,” according to the CFA’s official social media post on Thursday.
Li, who played for Everton and coached the national team from 2019 to 2021, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for bribery, having been sentenced in December 2024.
He is now banned from all football-related activities for life, along with 72 others, as stated by the CFA.
Among those banned is Chen Xuyuan, the former chairman of the CFA, who is already serving a life sentence for taking bribes amounting to $11 million.
The clubs facing penalties are also well-known.
Out of the 16 clubs that participated in the 2025 season of the Chinese Super League (CSL), 11 will have points deducted and will incur fines.
As a result of relegations, when the 2026 CSL season begins in March, nine teams will start with negative point totals.
Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and last season’s runners-up, Shanghai Shenhua, are facing the harshest penalties, with 10-point deductions and fines of one million yuan (approximately $144,000).
Shanghai Port, the champions for the past three seasons, will receive a five-point deduction and a fine of 400,000 yuan, the same penalty as Beijing Guoan.
The CFA did not specify the exact violations committed by the clubs, stating only that they pertained to “match-fixing, gambling, and bribery,” with penalties determined by the severity, circumstances, nature, and social impact of the improper activities involved.
“We will maintain a zero-tolerance policy and a strong punitive approach, investigating and addressing any breaches of discipline or regulations in football as soon as they are identified, without leniency or tolerance,” the CFA stated.
Many of China’s professional teams are already experiencing financial difficulties.
Guangzhou FC, the most successful club in CSL history, disbanded in 2025 after failing to resolve its debts in time for the new season.
President Xi, a football enthusiast, has expressed his aspiration for China to host and win the World Cup one day.
China did not qualify for the World Cup held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States this summer.
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