China bans 73 football figures, including Li Tie, and fines top clubs over match-fixing, gambling, and corruption in a major crackdown

China’s football association has issued lifetime bans to 73 individuals, including former national team head coach Li Tie, and penalised 13 professional clubs following a sweeping investigation into match-fixing and corruption.

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The Chinese Football Association (CFA) said the measures came after a “systematic review” aimed at enforcing industry discipline, purifying the football environment, and maintaining fair competition.

The announcement did not specify when the alleged match-fixing occurred or the precise methods involved.

Li Tie, who led China’s national team from 2019 to 2021 and previously played for Everton, is already serving a 20-year prison sentence for bribery, following his conviction in December 2024.

He joins 72 others banned for life, including Chen Xuyuan, former CFA chairman, who is serving a life sentence for accepting $11 million in bribes.

The sanctions extend to clubs in the Chinese Super League (CSL), with 11 of the 16 2025 season participants facing points deductions and fines.

Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Shanghai Shenhua received the stiffest penalties — 10-point reductions and one-million-yuan ($144,000) fines — while champions Shanghai Port and Beijing Guoan were docked five points and fined 400,000 yuan each.

The CFA statement said punishments were determined based on the amount, circumstances, nature, and social impact of the improper transactions involved, which included match-fixing, gambling, and bribery.

“We will always maintain a zero-tolerance deterrent and high-pressure punitive force,” the association said.

Financial instability continues to plague Chinese football. Guangzhou FC, the CSL’s most successful club, folded in 2025 after failing to settle debts in time for the new season.

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Under President Xi Jinping, an anti-corruption crackdown has intensified across Chinese football, reflecting his ambition to elevate the sport nationally, with the ultimate aim of hosting and winning the World Cup.