With the news from Beijing Youth Daily, the drums of war for the Chinese Super League are about to beat on April 15th. Teams have submitted their entry documents, however, the CFA is still working hard to verify that the teams have properly resolved their salary arrears. Despite all expectations, there is still uncertainty as to whether the league will kick off on time and whether it will have 18 teams.
It is worth mentioning that the cases of Li Tie and Chen Xuyuan are still pending, and at the same time, several Chinese Super League players have been taken away by the police. Once a team is found to be involved in match-fixing, relegation or even disbandment is likely to follow, as it did for Wuhan, Tianjin Tianhai and Shenzhen in the past.
To make things even trickier, news of alleged gambling on football by players such as Qin Sheng, Jin Jingdao, Zhu Jianrong and Sun Shilin continues to fester. According to China News Weekly, the gambling problem has a long history in professional leagues. A former Chinese Super League goalkeeper revealed that he was once invited to participate in a match-fixing game, but he decisively refused. Since then, no one else has extended a black hand to him.
The goalkeeper also pointed out that betting on football is not a private matter for individual players, as it is difficult to control the whole situation by oneself. Even goalkeepers can't dictate the direction of the game, and to achieve perfect control, they must master the core of the midfield. Therefore, bookmakers often target goalkeepers, center backs, midfielders and strikers.
Reporter Miao Yuan revealed that players suspected of match-fixing not only recruit teammates, former teammates and friends, such as Qin Sheng, who played for a number of Chinese Super League giants, including Guangzhou Evergrande, Dalian Yifang, as well as defunct Qingdao Zhongneng and Liaoning Hongyun. Qin Sheng's hometown of Dalian has fans of almost every Chinese Super League team.
Jin Jingdao only plays for one CSL team, but he has fellow countrymen all over the teams and he has been a starter for the national team. If what Jin Jingdao and Miao Yuan say is true, which other teams in the Chinese Super League can stay out of it? Is the Chinese Super League really being overshadowed by match-fixing, as Wu Xinghan said? What are your thoughts on this? Leave your views in the comments section and let's discuss.
