Chinese authorities have imposed lifetime bans on 73 people and handed heavy punishments to 13 professional football clubs in one of the most far-reaching anti-corruption actions in the history of the sport.
Chinese football clubs face authorities’ ire
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced the sanctions on Thursday following what it described as a “systematic review” into widespread match-fixing, gambling and bribery. The measures are part of a broader anti-corruption campaign under President Xi Jinping that has exposed deep-seated problems within Chinese professional football.
Among those banned for life are Li Tie, former head coach of the Chinese national team and a former Everton midfielder, and Chen Xuyuan, the former president of the CFA. Li, who coached the national side between 2019 and 2021, is already serving a 20-year prison sentence for bribery after being convicted in December 2024. Chen is serving a life sentence for accepting bribes worth approximately $11 million.
“For 73 industry personnel whose criminal offences have been confirmed by effective judicial judgments, the CFA has imposed lifetime bans on participation in any football-related activities,” the association said in a statement.
The crackdown has also shaken the country’s top professional league. Of the 16 clubs that competed in the 2025 Chinese Super League (CSL) season, 11 have been punished with points deductions and fines. As a result, nine teams will begin the 2026 CSL season with negative points totals when the campaign kicks off in March.
Shanghai Shenhua, runners-up last season, and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger received the harshest penalties, each being docked 10 points and fined one million yuan ($144,000). Defending champions Shanghai Port were handed a five-point deduction and a 400,000-yuan fine, the same punishment imposed on Beijing Guoan.
The CFA said the sanctions were determined based on “the amount, nature, seriousness and social impact” of the improper transactions involved, though it did not provide specific details of individual cases. Some clubs have since stated that the violations occurred years ago, with Shanghai Port acknowledging misconduct between 2014 and 2017 linked to poor oversight during the club’s early development.
“We will always maintain a zero-tolerance deterrent and a high-pressure punitive force,” the CFA said, pledging to investigate and punish any future violations without leniency.
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Chinese football has struggled for years with financial instability and governance issues. In 2025, Guangzhou FC, the most successful club in CSL history, folded after failing to resolve its debts.
President Xi, a self-described football fan, has repeatedly spoken of his ambition for China to one day host and win the World Cup. However, analysts say the scale of corruption revealed in recent investigations highlights the depth of reform still required.
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Sports commentator Wang Dazhao described the latest punishments as “rare in scale but necessary,” saying they carry “both positive significance and a strong warning effect” for the future of the sport.
The CFA has indicated that further investigations are ongoing, suggesting that Chinese football’s reckoning with corruption may not yet be over.
