Chinese Football Gambling Scandal: Three More for Investigations

Just days after an interrogation of Chinese Football Association (CFA) vice president Xie Yalong, the government has officially begun an investigation into the actions of Xie and two other top CFA officials with regard to a massive conspiracy to fix games in connection with Internet betting in China.

China football has been plagued by the match fixing and Internet betting scandal on the highest levels, as indicated by the list of names now facing government scrutiny: Along with Xie’s, the dealings of former national team official Wei Shaohui and former CFA referee commission head Li Dongsheng will also be probed.

The China-based People’s Daily reported on results of a poll of nearly 2,800 Chinese citizens which showed that 70% of the population believes all three officials will soon be in court; a similar number opined that more officials and players would be brought down. 

The People’s Daily also notes that Chinese gambling laws do not specify a crime defined as “fixing matches,” but Xie and his cohorts could be convicted on counts of either bribery or gambling.