Do they get tattoos of English letters in China?
Let’s go back to the 2007 China League One season. China League one is the second tier of Chinese soccer; promotion from there takes you into the Chinese Super League. On September 22, the Chengdu Blades were facing the possibility of promotion in their match against Qingdao Jonoon if they were to happen to win; fortunately for them, Qingdao Jonoon decided that this was a good match for them to play their kids, and the Blades won 2-0.
Shockingly, the idea that there may have been something untoward involved in Qingdao Jonoon’s team selection for that game was investigated. Even more shockingly, it was discovered that Qingdao manager Liu Hongwei received a 300,000 yuan payout (or about £26,942) and the use of the Chengdu Blades facility for a month of winter training to ensure that he’d field his reserve side in the match.
Hongwei really earned his money on this one, too. Check out his account of the match:
“The playing standard of Chinese football is so poor that, even without us defending, they could not score a goal (in the first half). They were too anxious.”
“Match-fixing is not that obvious. We sent on young substitutes, who were truly incapable. Even then it did not look that inconsistent (with normal standards).”
That’s right: even without any effort or desire on Qingdao Jonoon’s part, the Chengdu Blades couldn’t score. Hongwei goes on to say that the low standard of play is part of the overall (and pervasive) match fixing problem in Chinese soccer, and if anyone would know it’s him:
“The professionals might be able to see the flaws. But the professionals would have already known about many of these kinds of things in Chinese football. They are normal.”
So basically, whether or not the match has been fixed, it’s going to LOOK like it’s been fixed because the players are so inept that they do stupid stuff all the time. Makes you kind of long for MLS, huh?
Hongwei was arrested as part of a larger probe the Chinese State is running on corruption in soccer. On Friday, the probe also resulted in the arrests of Chengdu president Xu Hongtao and deputy You Kewei, the Chengdu administrators who paid Hongwei off. Back in November, sixteen unrelated match fixing arrests (consisting of players, coaches, and team officials) were carried out.
This probe has been going on since President Hu Jintao (that’s president of China, not the Chinese FA) indicated that Chinese soccer needed to quit being so corrupt; when the president of China says you’re too corrupt, you might’ve overstepped some boundaries. In fact, Xinhua – the state run television network – said the following in their report:
“China’s football is critically ill. The roots must be pulled up along with the grass.”
This is the same state run television network that still denies anything happened in Tianamen Square.
Interestingly, FIFA have remained silent on the issue. Declan Hill has called China the “ground zero for match fixing”; why is the sport’s governing body so quick to react to issues in Peru and Iraq but so slow to take up the bigger problem of match fixing in China? Where are the bans for officials and sanctions against the Chinese FA? How is Sepp Blatter responding to these arrests?
Furthermore, the Football League should also be looking into this. The Chengdu Blades are owned by Championship side Sheffield United; surely there are “fit and proper” club associations? If Flavio Briatore can be ousted for corruption commited in another sport, why can’t Kevin McCabe be held accountable for the actions of his other soccer club? These are bannable offenses in England, and the fact that he oversees a team in what’s apparently one of the most corrupt leagues in the world should invoke some sort of punishment.
China soccer match-fixing probe nets 3 execs [China Daily]
Is China finally tackling its soccer corruption scourge? [Christian Science Monitor]
Detained Chinese Football Coach Says Fixing Is ‘Normal’ [Jakarta Globe]
English – Owned Club Caught Up In China Matchfixing Probe [New York Times]
Manager: Match-fixing in China normal [FourFourTwo]
A very important book was written about match fixing last year. The author presents evidence that some of the highest soccer matches in the world may have been fixed: Champions League, Olympics and World Cup.
A very significant book was written about football match fixing last year. The author presents evidence that some of the biggest soccer matches in the world may have been fixed: Champions League, Olympics and World Cup.