"Surprisingly, it was a match-fixing!" Today, 6 years later, I learned from the TV special "Continuous Efforts to Advance Deeply" that this was what happened behind the "wonderful game" when Wuhan Zall was promoted to the Chinese Super League in 2018. It was unbearable, and Yang Tianshu felt that "the whole person was confused."
Football is Yang Tianshu’s belief. As a "female football player", she played football from elementary school and middle school to university and graduate school. In that game, she screamed crazily and shed tears...
Under the thunderous anti-corruption crackdown in football, one person has been arrested one after another, why is it still "corruption continues"?
This is the crying question of Yang Tianshu and thousands of Chinese fans!
Since the National Football Team entered the World Cup in 2002, over the past 20 years, at least six senior officials of the Football Association have been investigated for suspected serious violations of disciplines and laws: Nan Yong, Xie Yalong, Chen Xuyuan, Yu Hongchen, Wang Dengfeng, Du Zhaocai... these "famous" figures , one by one was tied to the pillar of shame.
"From the Football Association to the club, from the team coach to the players, they are all lost in the naked real interests! As a result, match-fixing, black whistles, various speculations, and various shady transactions are common and emerge in endlessly, making the entire football world a mess. "Bu Yifeng, a professor at the School of Physical Education of Jiangsu Normal University, hit the nail on the head.
Shocking examples abound.
In August 2015, Li Tie became the head coach of Hebei China Fortune Football Club. At that time, China Fortune Land Development was only ranked 6th in China League One, and the prospect of surpassing the league was not optimistic. The person in charge of the club and Li Tie agreed: "Use all means to ensure that we win and surpass the league!"
Li Tie asked assistant coach Zheng Bin to "manage" Shenzhen team's main defender Li Fei; Li Fei offered 6 million yuan to help them get many key players... In this way, China Fortune Land Development unexpectedly won the runner-up in the Chinese League One.
Money transactions not only lead to the loss of professional ethics and the failure of institutional norms, but also make football unhealthy practices intensify.
"There is a review of club qualifications every year. Some clubs are simply not qualified, so why are they given the 'green light'? When submitting annual budgets, some large groups frequently invest 2 billion in the 'winning budget' and 89 in the 'relegation budget' Hundreds of millions. Where has all this money been spent? No one knows!" Su Chuhao, head of the football industry research team of "New Voices in Sports", said that the entry threshold is in name only, and the supervision of funds is "escape", laying the groundwork for corruption. Foreshadowing.
According to Zhuang Deshui, deputy director of the Integrity Construction Research Center of Peking University, supervision is "loose and soft" or even missing, and the most important responsibility lies with the Football Association.
"The power held by the Football Association is too concentrated and its operation is not transparent, making it easy to be 'hunted'. Once the Football Association is kidnapped by capital, supervision will become a 'go through the motions'." Zhuang Deshui pointed out.
In the TV special, Chen Xuyuan, the former chairman of the Football Association, revealed the power-money transaction behind it: "The (Wuhan Zall) club sent me money and recommended it to me. He said, 'Chairman Chen, Li Tie is a good person. Select the head coach (position) to create an opportunity and a platform for his future." Chen Xuyuan generously accepted 2 million yuan from the club. And Li Tie also got his wish and became the head coach of the national football team. Of course, the club's 2 million yuan will not be spent in vain. Four players from the Zall team have also entered the national team with great dignity...
Anti-corruption in football has been emphasized for so many years, but why has there been little effect?
"Because the 'hidden rules' ecosystem has been formed within the football world, it is difficult to be alone in such a circle. 'If you are not corrupt, you are not safe' - if you are not corrupt, others may use corrupt means to make it difficult for you to protect yourself." Its position'. This is a typical case of 'bad money drives out good money'!" Zhuang Deshui analyzed.
In addition, punitive measures are too loose and difficult to deter, which is another reason for "corruption continues".
"The current relevant criminal legislation in the sports field lags behind, and some behaviors that seriously endanger the development of football cannot be cracked down as crimes. If something goes wrong with a club or team, it is usually fined, relegated, suspended, and points deducted. It is impossible to hit the seven inches. 'Up." analyzed Guo Yuchuan, associate professor at the Law School of North China University of Water Resources and Hydropower.
An industry insider told a case - on August 7, 2022, a match-fixing incident occurred in the men's football B (U15) Group A (U15) final of the 16th Guangdong Province Sports Games. It was of a vile nature and quickly became a hot search on Weibo. However, in addition to the punishment for the direct parties, other violators were only punished by suspension of association membership, notice of criticism, etc., and there was no judicial investigation.
With such an understatement, how can the anti-corruption in football not become a joke? !
(Author: Guangming Daily Research Team Members of the research team: our reporters Zhou Shixiang, Wang Qinghuan, Jin Xiaoyan, Ren Huan, and Wang Haokui)