Kim Min-jae's former team was hit with a heavy sanction.
The Chinese Football Association officially announced on the 29th, "In connection with the anti-corruption and anti-gambling campaign, Beijing Guoan Football Club is penalized with a deduction of 5 points for the new season and a fine of 400,000 yuan (about 83 million won)."
The association said the discipline was based on violations such as match-fixing, illegal gambling, and bribery, not merely the impact on match results. Detailed explanations about specific individual matches or situations were not disclosed.
Beijing Guoan said, "The heavens are watching! The gods are watching over us," reflecting on past involvement in match-fixing and promising to prevent recurrence.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced strong sanctions from 2024 to 2026 against about 100 football officials, players and coaches, including lifetime bans and criminal penalties. Judicial measures followed, with former CFA presidents and former national team coaches among high-ranking figures banned from football activities for life and subject to sentence reductions.
Kim Min-jae played for Beijing Guoan from 2019 to 2021. From his first season he established himself as the team's starting center back and dominated the Chinese league. Kim Min-jae contributed to the team's defensive stability with outstanding physical ability, one-on-one defending and aerial dominance. He appeared consistently without red cards or injuries.
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