China slaps lifetime football bans on 43 over gambling, match-fixing

Chinese football on Tuesday banned 43 people for life over alleged gambling and match-fixing, including three former China internationals and South Korean player Son Jun-ho, state news agency Xinhua said.

Beijing has in recent years deepened a crackdown on corruption in Chinese sports, especially football, and jailed several top officials.

The 43 were among 128 people implicated in total in a two-year probe into illegal gambling and match-fixing in the domestic game, China’s public security ministry said.

The news came hours before a home 2026 World Cup qualifier between China and Saudi Arabia.

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) accused Son, who played for Shandong Taishan in the Chinese Super League, of participating in match-fixing and taking bribes.

The international midfielder returned to South Korea in March this year after being held in China since May 2023.

Also on the lifetime ban list is former Chinese international Jin Jingdao, who also played for Shandong Taishan.

China’s football governing body has itself been under scrutiny — about 10 high-ranking CFA officials have so far been brought down in corruption probes.

The government in March handed a lifetime prison sentence to Chen Xuyuan, the former chairman of the CFA, for receiving what it called “particularly huge” bribes.

In August, a Chinese court gave 11 years of jail time to Li Yuyi, a former vice president of the Chinese Football Association, also for taking bribes.