43 people banned from Chinese football over gambling and match-fixing
Those banned include three former China internationals and South Korean World Cup player Son Jun-ho.
China.- Some 43 people have been banned from Chinese football for life for alleged gambling and match-fixing. They include former China internationals as well as former South Korean international Son Jun-ho.
Some 128 people were subject to a two-year investigation into illicit gambling and match-fixing in Chinese domestic sports. Son, who played for Shandong Taishan in the Chinese Super League, was accused of participating in match-fixing and accepting bribes. Jin Jingdao and Chinese internationals Guo Tianyu and Gu Chao were also banned for similar offences.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) itself has been facing scrutiny due to cases of corruption. Former chairman Chen Xuyuan was given a life sentence in March for accepting bribes amounting to RMB81.03m (US$11m). In the same month, Li Tie, the former head coach of China’s national team, admitted accepting over US$10.7m in bribes and helping to fix matches.
Gou Zhongwen, the former director of the General Administration of Sport of China, has been investigated for corruption and Li Yuyi, a former vice-president of the Chinese Football Association, received an 11-year jail sentence for accepting bribes.
