The issue of “false betting and corruption” in Chinese football continues to escalate. On May 21, the Football Association announced the third batch of penalties in the industry. This list includes 65 individuals, with 17 being permanently banned from engaging in any football-related activities and 48 receiving bans of 5 years or less.
According to a report from the “Inner Mongolia Morning News” on May 21, the Chinese Football Association released a new batch of penalties for the football industry on May 21. The list shows that 17 football personnel including Ding Yong and Wu Jingbo have been permanently banned from engaging in any football-related activities, while 48 individuals including Gao Han and Wang Bo have been banned for 5 years or less.
This is the third batch of industry penalties issued after the exposure of the “false betting and corruption” issue in Chinese football. The previous two batches of penalties were announced in September 2024 and January 2026. Chinese media reported that a total of 116 individuals have been permanently banned from football-related activities in the previous two lists, and several Chinese Super League and China League One clubs have also been fined.
The individuals permanently banned this time include former football club executives, coaches, and football-related personnel. Among them, Ding Yong was the former general manager of Shenzhen Football Club, Zeng Zhenyu was the former president of Shenzhen Football Club, Cao Yang was the former general manager of Meizhou Hakka Football Club, and Li Jun was the former head coach of Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard Football Club.
On May 21, the football information website “Understand the Ball” stated in an article that when the list of bans was announced, 5 individuals were not marked with specific club or job titles, including Zhao Yang, Wu Jingbo, Chen Jungji, Jin Qingyi, and others. The article mentioned that these individuals include agents, brokers, and personnel from data companies.
The announcement also mentioned that Meizhou Hakka Football Club had an additional deduction of 6 points in the 2026 professional league and was fined 800,000 yuan.
In recent years, cases of match-fixing, gambling, and corruption have continued to emerge in Chinese football. Former head coach of the Chinese men’s national team Li Tie was also included in the list of penalties. In December 2024, Li Tie was sentenced to 20 years in prison for bribery and other charges in the first instance, and was permanently banned from engaging in any football-related activities.