China’s Football Association has issued lifetime bans to 43 individuals, including former Chinese internationals, following a two-year probe into match-fixing and corruption in the country’s football industry.

Among those banned are football officials and players including former Chinese internationals Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu, and Gu Chao, as well as South Korean player Son Jun-ho and Cameroon’s Donovan Ewolo. According to state news agency Xinhua, while 38 professional players and five club officials received lifetime bans, another 15 players and two club officials were banned for five years.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, officials from China’s General Administration of Sport and the Ministry of Public Security stated that a two-year investigation had uncovered a series of online gambling, match-fixing, and bribery cases involving 120 matches, 128 criminal suspects, and 41 football clubs.

“The Ministry of Public Security reported the details of the first batch of 61 people involved in the cases to the General Administration of Sport of China and the CFA,” said Zhang Xiaopeng, a senior official from China’s Ministry of Public Security.

He added that 44 individuals face criminal penalties for bribery, gambling, and the illegal opening of casinos, while 17 others were found to have engaged in bribery and match-fixing and will be punished according to regulations.

In recent years, Chinese football has struggled with corruption, financial instability, and poor performance, forcing top authorities to intensify efforts to clean up the sport.

In 2023, Du Zhaocai, deputy head of China’s top sports body, was removed from his post, making him the highest-ranking official to be ousted as part of broader efforts to tackle corruption in Chinese football. His dismissal came after at least nine senior soccer officials were placed under investigation or arrested, including Li Tie, the former men’s national team coach, and Chen Xuyuan, former president of the Chinese Football Association.

On Tuesday, officials also announced that so far, 44 individuals connected to the football industry have been sentenced by the courts, with 34 of them receiving prison terms or harsher penalties.

CFA President Song Kai also announced a five-year ban for 17 individuals from participating in any football-related activities in China as a disciplinary measure.

Additionally, 43 individuals, including 32-year-old South Korean player Son Jun-ho, have been banned for life from involvement in football activities in the country. Son was arrested in May last year while attempting to leave the country and was held in custody before being released this past March.

Officials also stressed that any football professionals or clubs involved in illegal activities like match-fixing, gambling, or corruption would face severe consequences. They reiterated that such misconduct will not be tolerated, and all relevant information will be made public to ensure oversight.

Editor: Apurva.

(Header image: VCG)