China’s football association has banned 73 individuals, including former national team coach Li Tie and ex-association president Chen Xuyuan, from participating in the sport for life. The sweeping crackdown, announced just under a month before the start of the season, also includes 13 professional clubs facing point deductions and fines, among them Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua.
The association’s decision followed a meeting of authorities aimed at combating match-fixing and gambling. While details remain scarce, the association cited “inadmissible transactions” as the basis for the sanctions.
Penalties Assessed in Chinese Football Scandal
Clubs face fines ranging from 200,000 to 1,000,000 yuan (approximately 24,000 to 120,000 euros). Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Shanghai Shenhua will begin the 2026 season with a ten-point deduction.
China, striving to become a major footballing nation, has been plagued by repeated scandals involving bribery and match-fixing. In late 2024, Li Tie, who also played professionally for Everton FC, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for corruption. This verdict added his name to a growing list of high-profile figures targeted in the state’s anti-corruption campaign within football. Chen Xuyuan received a life sentence in March of that year for accepting bribes.
