China’s football association has imposed lifetime bans on 43 individuals over match-fixing and corruption.
The investigation involved 120 matches, 128 suspects, and 41 clubs. Out of those banned, 38 are players and five are club officials.
The Xinhua News Agency revealed that Zhang Xiaopeng, a senior police official, detailed a "two-year investigation that uncovered a series of online gambling, match-fixing and bribery cases."
Some players and officials received shorter bans, including foreign players who had moved to China for high salaries.
Former Chinese internationals Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu and Gu Chao were among those receiving lifetime bans.
China faced Saudi Arabia in Dalian later on Tuesday in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, following a 7-0 defeat to Japan five days earlier.
