Intro: Authorities intensify purge as CFA targets players, officials, and elite clubs
Beijing
China’s football authorities have imposed lifetime bans on 73 individuals and punished 13 top professional clubs as part of a wide-ranging crackdown on match-fixing, gambling and corruption, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced on Thursday.
The sanctions are the latest chapter in a sweeping anti-corruption drive under President Xi Jinping, which has laid bare the deep-rooted problems afflicting Chinese football. Over the past few years, several senior CFA officials have been removed, while dozens of players and coaches have faced disciplinary action for manipulating results and engaging in illegal betting.
Among those handed lifetime bans is former China head coach Li Tie, who guided the national team between 2019 and 2021. A former Everton midfielder, Li is already serving a 20-year prison sentence for bribery following his conviction in December 2024. The CFA confirmed that he is now permanently barred from all football-related activities.
Also included is former CFA chairman Chen Xuyuan, who is serving a life sentence for accepting bribes worth approximately $11 million. In total, the CFA said 73 people were banned for life following a “systematic review” of misconduct cases.
“The punishments are necessary to enforce industry discipline, purify the football environment and maintain fair competition,” the CFA said in a statement posted on its official social media account. The association did not disclose details on when the match-fixing incidents occurred or the specific methods involved.
The crackdown has also hit clubs at the highest level of the domestic game. Of the 16 teams that competed in the 2025 Chinese Super League season, 11 will face points deductions and financial penalties when the 2026 campaign begins in March.
Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and last season’s runners-up Shanghai Shenhua received the harshest sanctions, with 10-point deductions and fines of one million yuan ($144,000). Defending champions Shanghai Port and Beijing Guoan will each begin the new season with five-point reductions and fines of 400,000 yuan.
The unprecedented measures underscore China’s determination to restore credibility to its football system after years of scandal and underperformance.
