Match-fixing in Chinese football rampant during Covid: ‘there was no escaping it’, player says
Player, who is in his mid-30s, lifts lid on corruption and says clubs in China second tier would deliberately lose on weekly basis
A former Chinese Super League (CSL) and China League 1 (CL1) footballer has revealed how match-fixing, which led to 43 players being given a lifetime ban from the sport, worked during his time there.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) hit 38 footballers and five club officials with lifetime bans this month, and said 120 matches, involving 41 clubs, had been fixed.
The footballer, who is in his mid 30s and still playing in Asia, claimed games crucial to the CL1 title race in 2021, during which time he was with a club on the mainland, were fixed on a regular basis.
“There was no escaping it in 2020 and 2021, and it was definitely happening before, I just don’t know if it was as prevalent,” said the player, who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity.
He said he only knew of match-fixing during his time in CL1, and it was usually conducted between club officials, including coaches and playing staff, who would “buy” games by offering their opponents money to lose.
“My experience is that it was clubs colluding with each other … coaches and team managers [from other clubs] having good relationships and teams wanting to make sure they get promoted were buying the games,” he said
