Shocking Confession Rocks Chinese Soccer: Star Player Exposes Match Fixing Scandal to Secure Promotions
- A Chinese soccer player has come forward to reveal the widespread match-fixing in his country's league.
- The player, in his mid-30s, claimed that match-fixing continued during the COVID-19 pandemic and that there were cases where it occurred under the leadership of the club.
- The players also explained that they knew all of this in advance.
Chinese Soccer Player Exposes Rampant Match-Fixing in Country’s League
A Chinese soccer player has come forward to reveal the widespread match-fixing in his country’s league. According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post, the player, who wishes to remain anonymous, exposed the scandal that has been ongoing despite efforts to curb it.
The player, in his mid-30s, claimed that match-fixing continued during the COVID-19 pandemic and that there were cases where it occurred under the leadership of the club. He stated, “We couldn’t avoid match-fixing during the pandemic,” and “It was already rampant before then, but I didn’t know how serious it was.” He continued, “I personally witnessed the clubs colluding with each other,” adding, “Managers and coaches from other clubs were friendly with each other, and teams hoping to be promoted bought each other’s matches.”
The players also explained that they knew all of this in advance. The player said, “The situation was so serious that the players could tell in advance which game the team would lose,” and “Proper team training was only conducted during regular games.” It was found that some players noticed this and made extra money by betting on the game results.
According to the South China Morning Post, 120 matches suspected of gambling or match-fixing have been identified. It also reported that 128 suspects have been arrested since 2022, and legal action has been taken against 83 of them.
One expert cited the deterioration of local league finances as the cause of the match-fixing scandal. He revealed that match-fixing occurred as players did not receive their salaries for a certain period of time, and that they even received bribes.
The Chinese Football Association recently permanently banned 43 players, including Son Jun-ho (formerly of Suwon FC), suspected of match-fixing. However, Son Jun-ho claims that he did not fix matches.
Match-fixing is a serious issue that affects the integrity of the game. It is essential for the Chinese Football Association to take strict measures to prevent such scandals in the future.