Sweeping penalties target soccer corruption

In the latest crackdown on illegal activities plaguing soccer in the country, authorities have imposed heavy penalties on clubs and individuals accused of large scale violation of rules and regulations even as experts called for more sustained efforts to fight corruption.

A joint press conference being held in Beijing on Jan 29, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Chinese Football Association announced on Thursday that 13 domestic clubs will have their league ranking points deducted — as much as 10 points for the most serious offenders — for the 2026 season as punishment for their involvement in match-fixing, gambling and bribery cases uncovered during a joint investigation by the Ministry of Public Security and the General Administration of Sport of China.

All the clubs involved, including reigning Chinese Super League champion Shanghai Port and renowned capital franchise Beijing Guoan, will also face hefty fines as part of the penalty, it was announced during a news conference at the CFA headquarters.

The 2025 CSL season runner-up Shanghai Shenhua and sixth-placed Tianjin Jinmen Tiger were the hardest-hit, with each club docked 10 points and fined 1 million yuan ($143,900), while four-time league title winner Shanghai Port will start the 2026 season — expected to kick off in March — minus five points.

A total of 73 individuals, including former CFA chief Chen Xuyuan and ex-men's national team coach Li Tie, have been banned for life from participating in any soccer-related activities as a result of their severe violations of league rules and laws, the CFA ruling stated.

Li, a former midfielder with English Premier League club Everton, and Chen were convicted of accepting millions of dollars in bribes, and were sentenced to 20 years in prison and a life term, respectively, by two separate courts in Hubei province in 2024.

In an ironic twist, former Chinese international Wang Dong was handed a lifetime ban on Thursday for "manipulating match results for illegal benefits", just 11 days after he was appointed new head coach of third-tier league club Changchun Xidu.

Citing the heavy toll such severe violations of the law has taken on the sport's integrity and image, current CFA president Song Kai insisted that the fight against corruption and match-fixing will remain a top priority of the country's soccer revitalization project, stating that the organization will "maintain a strict 'zero tolerance' stance against such illegal activities".

A statement by GASC, China's sports ministry, said the penalties demonstrated the CFA's determination to rigorously clean up the environment for soccer development in China, promote fair play and integrity and push forward with reforms on governance and league operations.

Both the sanctioned Shanghai clubs immediately posted statements stating that they "genuinely embrace and accept the penalties", have sincerely reflected on "the lack of management, supervision and respect for regulation" and will improve management and moral education of players, and introduce more transparent public supervision.

Shi Pengpeng, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, suggested that a stronger legal framework should be implemented specifically for the sports sector.

"The sports law in our country was enacted a long time ago (in 1995) and should be revised with more detailed provisions to address corruption-related violations in sports, such as gambling and match-fixing," Shi told Fangyuan, a fortnightly magazine published by the Procuratorate Daily.