With former international star and former Chinese men's national team manager Li Tie being taken away by officials on the eve of the World Cup, the Chinese soccer world has been hit by a sudden earthquake. As we enter the year 2023, the anti-corruption campaign in Chinese soccer, which was thought to have calmed down, has accelerated and escalated once again. The anti-corruption storm has affected the top management of the CFA, including deputy director Du Zhaocai, vice chairman Chen Xuyuan, including as many as nine key members were officially open investigation.
In fact, behind this wave of anti-corruption in Chinese soccer triggered by Li Tie lies a hidden thread of international gambling. Fans of Chinese Super League giants Shandong Taishan are particularly frustrated by this, as Jin Jingdao, an international player suspected of gambling, was previously outed on the internet as a member of the Shandong Taishan team. This was followed by the revelation that a former core of the national team and star player for Luneng was suspected of fleeing the country. These departing players, for Taishan fans, are like children they watched grow up, which is heartbreaking.
During the final of the FA Cup last year, a woman shouted at Wu Xinghan, an international player of Shandong Taishan, from the stands, accusing him of cheating money and sex. At first, I thought it was just a simple peach incident. However, as the incident continued to fester, it was not just a couple's emotional affair, but also involved gambling. Since then, well-known international players in Chinese soccer have been exposed as suspected gamblers, including current player Jin Jingdao, who plays for Shandong Taishan. Although this has yet to be confirmed, rumors like this have long been commonplace in Chinese soccer.
However, recently another incident broke out on the internet that made Taishan fans even more worried. According to a blogger, a former international player from Shandong Youth Training has escaped. The blogger lamented: "Taishan fans watched the growing up of the child, went to the rice country, can not come back. Who remembers the classic upside-down golden hook in the AFC Championship? Transfer to leave before the tearful Sa Luneng stadium." The blogger also said in the end: "Taishan fans should be more worried than small gold."
The blogger then added in the comments section that the player's situation is similar to Kim Kyung Do's. In other words, Kim Kyung Do was previously exposed as suspected of gambling and was also an organizer. And this fleeing player was also suspected of gambling and fled in a hurry for fear of being investigated. Some commentators have said that he was questioned about his alleged gambling back in the day, but he swore to deny it at the time and said so what if his whole family gambled. Nowadays, this statement seems to have quite a deep meaning. After all, such a good player was often invisible on the pitch and left Shandong Luneng the year he played.
