Beijing, China – January 29, 2026: China’s football association has handed lifetime bans to 73 individuals, including former national team head coach Li Tie, and sanctioned 13 top professional clubs over match-fixing and corruption, the association announced Thursday.

The punishments follow a systematic review of misconduct in Chinese football aimed at “enforcing industry discipline, purifying the football environment, and maintaining fair competition,” the CFA said. Li Tie, who led China’s national team from 2019 to 2021, is already serving a 20-year prison sentence for bribery, while former CFA chairman Chen Xuyuan is serving life for accepting bribes totaling $11 million.

Of the 16 clubs in the 2025 Chinese Super League, 11 will have points deducted and fines imposed, meaning nine teams will start the 2026 season with negative points totals. Last season’s runners-up Shanghai Shenhua and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger face the harshest penalties, including 10-point deductions and one-million-yuan ($144,000) fines. Champions Shanghai Port and Beijing Guoan will each lose five points and pay 400,000 yuan in fines.

The CFA did not specify the timing or details of the infractions, citing only that they involved “match-fixing, gambling, and bribery,” with punishments calibrated to the severity and impact of each case.

The announcement comes amid ongoing anti-corruption efforts in Chinese football under President Xi Jinping, who has vowed to elevate China’s professional game and dreams of hosting and winning the World Cup. Several clubs are already in financial distress, including Guangzhou FC, which folded in 2025 due to unpaid debts.

“We will always maintain a zero-tolerance approach and investigate any violations of discipline or regulations in football without leniency,” the CFA said.