Chinese Soccer Player Exposes Widespread Match-Fixing in Second-Tier Games
A professional soccer player from China has spoken out about the alarming scale of match-fixing in Chinese football. In an interview with The South China Morning Post, the player, who chose to remain anonymous, shed light on the troubling extent of fraud in the sport, particularly in second-tier matches.
Pandemic Increased Opportunities for Match-Fixing
The player revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic provided new opportunities for corruption, as games were held in empty stadiums with minimal oversight.
This allowed coaches, managers, and even players to engage in fraudulent activities with relative ease.
According to the player, match-fixing became increasingly prevalent during this period, with some players even placing bets on their own teams to lose when they knew a game had been fixed.
The source emphasized that while some individuals were driven by monetary gain, others were motivated by the desire to secure promotion or avoid relegation.
Predictable Patterns of Fixed Games
The anonymous player, who is still actively competing, described how he and others could predict when their team was planning to throw a match.
In matches where the team aimed to win, training sessions were focused and structured, featuring 11 vs 11 games, set-piece drills, and detailed game analysis.
However, when a match was predetermined to be a loss, the training became disorganized, with 15 vs 15 games on smaller pitches, sometimes even involving the coaches.
“A lot of the players were seeing what I was seeing, and then they would just bet on us to lose,” the player explained, describing the widespread nature of the problem within the team.
Recent Crackdown on Match-Fixing
This revelation comes just weeks after a major crackdown by the Chinese Football Association (CFA), which resulted in lifetime bans for 43 players and officials accused of corruption and match-fixing.
According to authorities, an investigation uncovered fraudulent activities in 120 matches, implicating 128 individuals and 41 teams.
One of the most notable individuals banned was South Korean soccer star Sun Jun-ho, who later claimed that Chinese authorities had coerced him into confessing to accepting bribes by threatening his family.
Skepticism Among Fans
Despite the CFA’s efforts to tackle match-fixing, some fans remain skeptical of the recent bans.
Speculation has arisen that China may be targeting smaller teams as scapegoats for the national team’s poor performance in recent international tournaments.
Fans have expressed concern that the crackdown may not be addressing the root of the problem, and that deeper issues within the sport remain unaddressed.
