[Outside of the sneaky FA, the Central Discipline Inspection saved the day]
The FA knew nothing about this scene from within, so who was behind this storm of anti-corruption and blackmail? The answer is revealed to be the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection! According to veteran media personality He Xiaolong, soccer star Li Tie has been taken away by the Hubei discipline inspection department. Former international soccer player and Shenzhen goalkeeper Zhang Lu was also arrested by Hubei police. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Supervisory Commission have played a key role in this anti-corruption crackdown.
As a matter of fact, since last year, there have been frequent anti-gambling and anti-triad cases in the Chinese soccer sector, such as the arrests of Dong Wensheng, the former chairman of Tianjin Teda FC, and Li Guangyi, the general manager of Tianjin Teda FC, at the end of last year. At the end of August this year, Wang Dengfeng, the former vice chairman of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), who was involved in campus soccer, was also taken away by the police. The disciplinary and illegal behavior of these people is so serious that only the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Supervisory Commission can coordinate the whole situation.
At present, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) is facing an unprecedented embarrassing situation, as the soccer management department, the CFA has become a hotbed of fake football and black money. The Football Association is like an ant in a pot, it is difficult to escape the suspicion of harboring. Even if the management of the Association does not have Li Tie-like black money transactions, they still need to take responsibility for the negligence in the work.
[A storm of anti-corruption and blackmail sweeps through the country, preventing six major forces]
The storm of anti-corruption and blackmail has come, and the geometry of its impact is not yet known. Whether Chinese soccer can set things right has become the focus of attention. Li Tie was arrested after all the clues show that many corners of the soccer industry need to be vigilant, reform is imperative!
Firstly, the circle of soccer agents needs to be re-examined, especially those who are closely associated with Li Tie.
Secondly, the top management of each club needs to be scrutinized, whether it be player transfers or relegation battles, some of the top management are suspected of orchestrating match-fixing and must be investigated severely.
Further, third-tier players are also under scrutiny, with three players, including Zhang Lu and his teammates, reportedly involved in Li Tie's alleged match-fixing incident.
The Sports Bureau and some of the leaders of the CFA also need to investigate themselves to see if they are involved in any criminal offenses, and if not, they should be held accountable for negligence of their duties.
In addition, the referee circle also needs to be rectified. In recent years, the referees of the Chinese Super League have caused widespread dissatisfaction among the fans, and the phenomenon of black whistles and official whistles occurs frequently.
Finally, the provincial games soccer program also needs to be reviewed. The controversial provincial games soccer matches in 2022 in China's soccer world have been suspected of match-fixing in both men's and women's soccer, and strict scrutiny must be applied to such matches.
