Chinese authorities decided to punish 61 people involved in a criminal scheme that included match-fixing in football matches. Among those involved, 44 were permanently banned from the sport, while 34 also face prison sentences.
The investigation, which began in 2022, identified 120 manipulated matches and dismantled 12 criminal groups involved. In addition to players, the scheme affected referees, coaches and club managers.
The operation led to the arrest of 128 people and resulted in 83 coercive measures to combat criminal practices related to football.
Among those punished, the highlight goes to midfielder Jing Jingdao, a former player for Shandong Taishan and the Chinese national team, who played between 2011 and 2021.
Jingdao was banned from football for life. Another 17 players received a five-year suspension, banned from participating in any sport-related activity in the country.
Strict punishments and preventive measures
During a press conference, the representative of the Chinese Football Association emphasized that cases of match-fixing “will be treated seriously and will not be tolerated.”
China’s General Administration of Sports has reaffirmed its commitment to combating “fake gambling” in professional football, working together with the Ministry of Public Security to stop the spread of this practice.
This is not the first time that Chinese football has dealt with this type of situation. In 2013, former Hangzhou Greentown player Shen Liuxi was also banned permanently after being convicted of involvement in match-fixing.
Decline in match-fixing in Brazil
Recently, the CBF announced a 70% reduction in suspected match-fixing in football games in Brazil. The data, provided by the monitoring company Sportradar, refers to the period from January to August this year.
Eduardo Gussem, CBF integrity officer, highlighted that the entity did not receive alerts of manipulation in April and August, signaling progress in the fight against the problem. The seminar held at the end of August, organized by Fundação Getúlio Vargas, FIFA and Cies, reinforced the commitment to sporting integrity.
Gussem also criticized the inaccurate disclosure of the cases, mentioning that Brazil has more than 130 annual competitions, which can distort the perception of the situation. Sportradar identified 109 suspected cases of manipulation in 9,000 games, with a significant reduction compared to last year.
