Recently, the Chinese soccer world has been in a state of flux and scandals. First, the Guangdong Provincial Games were shaken by a match-fixing case that saw 16 officials removed and demoted. Immediately after, the CFA took action against the Guangzhou Football Association and the Evergrande Football School, suspending their membership for two years and imposing a lifetime ban on six people. The Evergrande Group also removed and expelled five banned persons from the Evergrande Football School.
In contrast, Li Tie's suspected serious violations seem to be more high-profile. The case is complex and wide-ranging, and the discipline inspection and supervision departments are still conducting in-depth investigations. Media person Ran Xiongfei revealed that the relevant characterization and sentence will be announced after the league.
Ran Xiongfei recently exposed a number of elements of Li Tie's case. First, the three clubs that Li Tie has played for may collectively withdraw from the 2022 season. Hebei Huaxia Happiness is on the brink of extinction, Guangzhou Evergrande is in deep relegation trouble, and Wuhan Zall are on the verge of bankruptcy due to huge debts.
In addition, Wuhan Zall FC was exposed to foreign exchange speculation and tax evasion during the period when chairman Tian Xudong and general manager Li Qin were assisting in the investigation and were fined more than 100 million yuan. According to informed sources, Li Tie dug a huge hole during his time at Zall, bringing the club huge debts.
Li Tie was also involved in the sea cucumber incident with the national soccer team, signing a three-year contract with Dalian player Du Longquan, but the contract was annulled after the player was injured. Since then, Du Longquan has helped the national soccer team and Li Tie pull in sea cucumber sponsors, and the endorsement fees have been split between Li Tie and his team.
The national team is also currently in trouble and Li Tie has worked for three clubs in Hebei, Guangzhou and Wuhan. The CFA released the last CD to all teams, asking them to solve the problem of salary arrears by December 31st. Many teams are facing survival difficulties.
International qualifications once sold for as much as 5 million during the golden yuan period of Chinese soccer. Li Tie turned a piece of public welfare land into a private enterprise in Shenyang's Hunnan district and allegedly acquired the assistance of senior officials of the Football Association. Chinese soccer's dark secrets and Li Tie's dark information was revealed to be shocking. There are numerous shadows involving FA officials and the CFA is riddled with internal problems.
The investigation into the Li Tie case has penetrated into the major sectors of the soccer industry, and the authorities concerned need to conduct a thorough investigation. Li Tie's case involves a wide range of areas, including sponsors, agents, player transfers, national team eligibility, and youth training fraud. Chinese soccer must eliminate all darkness in order to see the light.
The decline of Chinese soccer is not only due to the lack of results, but also because the system breeds many evils. I hope that this soccer anti-gambling and anti-triad action can dig out the big fish hidden in the Football Association and even the General Administration of Sports, and bring the hope of progress for Chinese soccer.
