Since the arrest of Li Tie, the Chinese soccer world has been in a state of shock, setting off another round of anti-gambling and anti-corruption storms, and the situation has become more and more chaotic and unclear. The latest information shows that two foreign players are suspected to have fled the country due to their involvement in the case, which is closely related to Li Tie's case. Meanwhile, the CFA is also experiencing personnel changes, with Secretary-General Liu Yi announcing his resignation. Rumor has it that there is a dispute between the two new candidates for CFA secretary general, which may have a profound impact on the future of Chinese soccer.
The depth of the investigation makes more people involved in the case surfaced. Recently, the reporter Cheng Wenli broke the news, Shenzhen soccer club has 5 members were taken away to investigate, including 3 officials and 2 players, specific names have not been announced. Reporter Ran Xiongfei further revealed that the general manager of Shenzhen Football Club Ding Dongmei and the former Hebei Huaxia Football Club Li was also taken away, the number of people involved in the case accumulated to 27 people. Given that Li Tie case involves youth training, the national team, brokers, sponsors and other areas, it is expected that the number of people involved will continue to climb.
Although many people have been arrested or assisted in the investigation, two foreign players absconded overseas after Li Tie's case and only recently returned home. According to reporter Li Pingkang, the identity of the two former foreign players is a mystery, revealing only one person surnamed Dong, another person surnamed Qin. Many fans have been looking for clues, and all indications point to the national team striker Dong student and midfielder Qin Sheng, who did not appear in the list of the Chinese Super League last month.
The leadership of the Football Association (FA) has also undergone changes. Chen Xuyuan, the head of the Association, has been appearing frequently at the national team recently and will attend a meeting of the Association at the end of the week, while Liu Yi, the secretary general of the Association, has submitted his resignation. If Liu Yi takes over as secretary general of the Association, Chen Xuyuan will give strong support, but now that Chen Xuyuan no longer holds a senior position in the Association, he will also lose important support. Sources say that Chen Xuyuan has long been in a state of neglect within the FA, while the appointment of new national soccer coach Li Xiaopeng was decided by the leading group of the State General Administration of Sports, with the FA only having nominal management rights.
This year, Chen Xuyuan's term will come to an end. Although it is only a matter of time before he steps down, he will remain in his post in the short term. The CFA will hold a meeting on January 15 to summarize the work of 2022 and inform the work plan of the league in 2023, which Chen Xuyuan will attend in person.
