Chinese soccer fans voicing their support for the national team ahead of its humiliating 7-0 defeat to Japan last week. Widespread corruption has been blamed for the failure to realize President Xi Jinping\u2019s dream of transforming the country into a soccer superpower. (Image: CNA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAmong the group are former Chinese internationals Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu, and Gu Chao. Current South Korea international Son Jun-ho, who played in China for Shandong Taishan in the Chinese Super League, is also on the list.<\/p>\n
The sanctions were announced Tuesday at a press briefing in Dalian by the top official from the Ministry of Public Security, Zhang Xiaopeng, and reported by Xinhua<\/em>, the state-owned news agency.<\/p>\nDraining the Swamp<\/strong><\/h2>\nZhang said the bans were the culmination of a two-year investigation that uncovered widespread online gambling, match-fixing, and bribery in Chinese soccer. Some 120 matches were implicated in the investigation, which involved 128 criminal suspects and 41 teams.<\/p>\n
In addition to the 43 life bans, 17 others, including Cameroonian forward Donovan Ewolo, now playing in Saudi Arabia, were banned for five years.<\/p>\n
Son \u2018Bewildered\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\nSon, 32, was arrested as he attempted to leave China in May 2023. He was detained in the country until March of this year on unspecified bribery charges.<\/p>\n
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The Chinese Football Association (CFA) said in a statement that Son had \u201cparticipated in illegal transactions, manipulated football matches, and obtained illegal gains to seek unlawful benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cHis actions seriously violated sports ethics and sportsmanship, causing significant negative social impact,” the CFA said.<\/p>\n
Son\u2019s agent, Park Dae-yeon, told South Korean news agency Yonhap<\/em> Tuesday that he and his client were \u201cbewildered\u201d by the \u201cridiculous\u201d charges.<\/strong><\/p>\nCorruption has long been endemic in Chinese soccer. Earlier this year, former CFA president Chen Xuyuan was sentenced to life in prison for accepting millions in bribes.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s Failed Soccer Project <\/strong><\/h2>\nChinese President Xi Jinping is said to be a big fan of the game and pledged in 2015 to turn China into a soccer superpower that would one day lift the World Cup. But despite pouring billions into the sport, there is nothing to suggest China is the sleeping giant of world soccer.<\/p>\n
If anything, the country’s prospects for achieving soccer glory are getting worse.<\/p>\n
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In January, for the first time in 29 years, China lost to Hong Kong, its own Special Administrative Region (SAR). But the most humiliating defeat was a 7-0 hammering last Friday by Japan, one of its biggest sporting and geopolitical rivals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A recent documentary that aired on state television claimed corruption is holding Chinese soccer back and may have spurred authorities to purge the game of undesirable elements.<\/p>\n
Just hours after Tuesday\u2019s sanctions were announced, China was beaten at home by Saudi Arabia. The national team currently sits at the bottom of its World Cup qualifying group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
China\u2019s Football Association (soccer) has banned 43 players and officials from the sport for life following a widespread investigation into corruption and match-fixing. Among the group are former Chinese internationals Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu, and Gu Chao. Current South Korea international Son Jun-ho, who played in China for Shandong Taishan in the Chinese Super League, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":330220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86644,21,61,82966,1074],"tags":[92290,92291,92289,92292],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
China Soccer Purges 60 Players, Officials in Corruption Probe<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n