The dark clouds are hanging heavy over the top men's football in China. Over the past few seasons, it has been simmering behind the scenes for a long time, before it completely caught fire at the end of last year's season. A sporting scandal that tops all previous missteps reached the light of day, revealing a systematic corruption within top football that is unparalleled. As many as eleven of the 16 teams in the Chinese top division - Super League, were found guilty of having engaged in extensive match-fixing, bribery and corruption. In other words, a large part of the central figures within most clubs had been involved in shady business and in luring big money through gambling. The risk of loss was eliminated, and with certain outcomes in advance, the right people earned huge sums of money from fabricated results. The end result was a massive crackdown, and harsh sanctions. These sanctions did not only apply to the clubs, but also to owners, coaches and investors. The whole house of cards collapsed, and the Chinese Super League was left as the big loser. Its reputation has been destroyed, its integrity has been lost, and as a direct consequence, sponsors and broadcasters are choosing to distance themselves from the league. So are we at 90 Minute Family. This violates everything we stand for, and we are thus put in a situation where we cannot possibly recommend games from the Chinese Super League. To come up with well-considered analyses and betting suggestions that we stand for becomes an impossibility as long as we cannot guarantee that the games will go correctly. We also realize that this scandal goes back several seasons, and we, like everyone else, have thus been deceived in this process. The Chinese Super League will not be found on our platforms in the future.
The fatal backdrop
So what exactly has happened? Due to the roll-out, and as a direct consequence, 73 people associated with the Chinese top league have been banned from football for life. Among them is Li Tie, former Everton player, and also former Chinese national team manager. The process led by President Xi Jinping revealed a downright rotten culture, and after several years of investigations, it was finally believed that there was enough information available. A total of 13 teams were found guilty of match-fixing. Eleven of these played in the Chinese Super League last year, two were relegated, and thus we were left with nine teams in the top tier in the country. What should we do with these nine? Send them all down a notch? The end result, as of now, is that these nine began the current season with minus points. Anything from five to ten points in the red before the first whistle.
Key figures convicted
The aforementioned Li is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for his involvement in the case. And he is not alone. A huge number of coaches, official partners, owners and players have been banned from football for life, and many will see nothing but the inside of a prison wall before their journey of life is blown off for the last time. Chen Xuyuan, former chairman of the CFA, is another who has received a life sentence for his involvement. The once renowned football personality is said to have received bribes of over 100 million Norwegian kroner.
Shanghai Port ridiculed
The scandal was complete when Shanghai Port, reigning champions for the past three seasons, also turned out to be among the teams that were convicted. Several people within the club had to leave, and the club's honor and glory will forever have a star in the margin. Not a star in the sense of success, but as an eternal stain on the sky of football. The club that so desperately wants to take the step towards the big ones, assert itself in the Champions League, and thus also attract big players, is now ridiculed along with the rest. The choices have been made, and one must now come to terms with the consequences.
CFA promises to clean up
The CFA, the Chinese football governing body, appears divided, as it emerged that Chen Xuyuan, the former chairman, is one of the men convicted in the case. They are now calling for zero tolerance for match-fixing, and guarantee that the league will be scrutinized for the slightest hint of a corrupt betting app. However, some of the trust has been regained after good cooperation with the Chinese judiciary, and many former high-ranking figures are now serving long sentences. Whether this can serve as a perpetual reminder of what awaits those who engage in shady activities in Chinese football is unknown, but one naturally hopes that it can have a certain effect.
Financial challenges
As a consequence of all this, as well as declining revenues, Chinese football is experiencing tough times. The most successful club, Guangzhou FC, had to turn off the lights for the last time at the end of last year. A pillar of Chinese top football has thus fallen away, and for the remaining top clubs the prospects look bleak. President Xi is also dreaming of China hosting the World Cup in the future. It is possible that these ambitions should be reassessed, because as of today there is little indication of prosperity in Chinese top football.
90 Minute Family strives for quality in every aspect
In conclusion, we would like to say that we are aware of our responsibility, and when something like this comes up, we will be transparent and crystal clear in our stance. You will not find betting suggestions against the Chinese Super League from us, as we cannot guarantee the correctness of these match results. Trust has been broken, and then we will refrain. We hope for understanding for the choice, and that this is seen as part of the process of only presenting games that we can really guarantee. Integrity is the most important thing we have, and our members and visitors deserve only the best. Know that the games on our pages are quality assured as far as possible, and that we correct the course and refrain from leagues if we are unsure.
A very happy Easter from 90 Minute Family.
