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Following a two-year investigation into match-fixing and gambling, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) has banned 38 players and five club officials for life.

As reported by the Xinhua news agency, the investigation, part of a crackdown on corruption in one of China’s most popular sports, found that 120 matches had been fixed, with 41 clubs involved.

The report did not say whether all the matches were in China.

Three former Chinese internationals Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu and Gu Chao and South Korean player Son Jun-ho were among those banned for life, according to findings made public this week at the press conference by China’s Ministry of Public Security and the General Administration of Sport of China, at which the CFA President Song Kai was also present.

While one of the players have made any public comment, Son’s agent, Park Dae-yeon, said it was “ridiculous” to accuse his client of match-fixing.

Son was released in March after being detained for 10 months in China and returned to South Korea, where he plays for Suwon.

The club’s sporting director, Choi Soon-ho, said they would continue to field Son unless ordered not to do so because the CFA ruling “doesn’t apply to us”.

Choi advised "he vehemently denied bribery charges when he signed with us and I respect that.”

Zhang Xiaopeng, from the Ministry of Public Security, said 44 individuals faced criminal penalties for bribery, gambling and the illegal opening of casinos, and 17 others were found to have engaged in bribery and match-fixing.

Chinese football has long grappled with corruption, which fans have blamed for the underperformance of the men’s national team.

In August, a former Vice-President of the CFA was sentenced to 11 years for accepting bribes and a former director of the competition department was sentenced to seven years for the same offence. A former Chairman of the CFA was sentenced to life in prison in March.

Image: Shutterstock.

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