Chinese soccer has faced an unprecedented collective purge due to match-fixing.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) held a press conference on the 29th with the Ministry of Public Security and the State General Administration of Sport and announced additional lifetime bans for 73 people on charges of match-fixing and corruption. Combined with the first list in September last year (60 people), a total of 133 people have been permanently expelled from the football world.
In particular, this list includes former national team coach Li Tie (49) and former CFA president Chen Xuyuan (70), among others, intensifying the shock to Chinese football.
On the 30th, according to Chinese outlet Sohu, three local experts spoke out, noting that this affair is not a simple case of individual deviation and delivering scathing criticism.
Sports journalist Xiao Nan said, "It is hard to describe in words how much damage the two rounds of list announcements have inflicted on Chinese professional football. The entire industry is ashamed," unable to hide his dismay.
He added, "However, regional fans, various media outlets and individual content creators should please provide more positive energy," emphasizing, "Don't mock, ridicule, rub salt into wounds, or even spread rumors just to get a few clicks."
He also said, "When a scandal breaks, it is not an individual who is embarrassed but the entire industry," adding, "The under-23 (U-23) national team has shown a ray of light despite difficult circumstances. At times like this, please support them a little more. If the industry collapses, everyone collapses."
Football commentator Chen Ning also said, "Looking at this list, you can see how widespread the contamination is. That is why Chinese football has always been stagnant," blaming himself, and adding, "We should not simply blame youth development for the problem."
Another expert, Miao Yuan, said, "It confirms the country's strong will. The level and intensity of the punishments are very high," but added, "There are rumors that not all core national team–level players are included on the list yet. We must watch whether there will indeed be a third list announcement," remaining tense.
Chinese authorities emphasized that this measure is "part of a zero-tolerance principle to correct industry discipline and cleanse the football environment." But the gaze of Chinese football fans remains cold.
The 2026 season of the Chinese Super League (CSL), which opens in March, is expected to begin in the worst of moods after runner-up Shanghai Shenhua and sixth-place Tianjin Jinmen Tiger were each hit with a 10-point deduction.
Moreover, with more than half of the CSL's 16 teams—nine teams—implicated in match-fixing, an absurd spectacle will unfold as they enter the 2026 season carrying negative points.
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