The Chinese Football Association issued industry penalties for the match-fixing incident at the Guangdong Provincial Games on December 25, and six people were "banned" for life.
Screenshot of the Chinese Football Association’s official website
The Chinese Football Association announced: On August 7, 2022, in the men’s Group B A final of the 16th Guangdong Provincial Sports Games, the Guangzhou Football Team defeated the Qingyuan Football Team 5:3 and won the championship. The process of the game was widely questioned by public opinion and attracted attention from all walks of life.
Since then, the Chinese Football Association, under the guidance and supervision of the State Sports General Administration and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervisory Commission’s Discipline Inspection and Supervision Team at the General Administration of Sports, set up a special investigation team to go to Guangzhou to conduct an investigation together with the relevant departments of Guangdong Province. After investigation, Guangzhou Football Association Chairman Xie Zhiguang, Evergrande Football School Principal Wang Yajun and Vice Principal Zhang Xiuyu, Director of Player Management Department Cai Guanghui, Qingyuan City Football Representative Team Head Coach Li Zifei (an employee of Evergrande Football School), Qingyuan City Football Representative Team Assistant Coach Chen Weihua (an employee of Evergrande Football School) and others committed disciplinary violations by manipulating the game to ensure that the Guangzhou City Football Representative Team won the championship. This incident seriously violated sports ethics, corrupted the industry atmosphere, and had a negative impact on the image of Chinese football.
The Chinese Football Association issued the following penalties: a temporary suspension of the Guangzhou Football Association (voted and approved by the Chinese Football Association Executive Committee, subject to confirmation by a vote of the General Assembly) and a 2-year penalty for membership of the Chinese Football Association (December 25, 2022 to December 24, 2024). The Guangzhou Football Association will no longer enjoy membership rights during the penalty period, and its relevant functions will be performed by the Guangdong Football Association. During the period of punishment, the Guangzhou Football Association should take the case as a lesson, learn lessons deeply, carry out comprehensive self-examination and self-correction under the supervision of the Chinese Football Association and the Guangdong Football Association, strengthen the construction of the staff team, and conduct new elections to reshape the image of the association.
issued a notice of criticism to the Qingyuan City Football Team and Evergrande Football School.
issued a notice of criticism to the Guangdong Football Association and ordered it to conduct an in-depth inspection.
Xie Zhiguang, Wang Yajun, Zhang Xiuyu, and Cai Guanghui are prohibited from engaging in any football-related activities under the management of the Chinese Football Association for life; Li Zifei and Chen Weihua are prohibited from engaging in any football-related activities under the management of the Chinese Football Association for life, and their coaching qualifications are revoked.
The Chinese Football Association stated that it will severely crack down on such incidents with a "zero tolerance" attitude, resolutely manage the style and discipline of the game, and purify the atmosphere on the field.
Source: Xinhua News Agency, Procuratorate Daily Justice Network
