A screen shot of the statement issued by CFA on its website on May 21, 2026

A total of 17 people received lifetime bans from engaging in any football-related activities for committing criminal offenses, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced on its official website on Thursday as it released its third batch of sanctions targeting misconduct in the football industry. 

The latest round of punishments involved 65 individuals, with 48 of them banned for five years or less from participating in football-related activities for serious violations of industry discipline. 

Those punished included club executives, sports agency professionals, players, and one referee, the CFA said. One of  the 17 individuals who were handed lifetime bans is Meng Jing, former chairman of the Hebei China Fortune Football Club. During Meng's tenure, the club signed many international stars.

The punishments were determined based on factors such as the nature of their misconduct, the amount of money involved, the frequency of violations and the degree of malicious intent. 

The Meizhou Hakka Football Club based in South China's Guangdong Province, now in the second division of Chinese professional league, received an additional six-point deduction in the 2026 league standings and was fined 800,000 yuan ($117,000) for other serious violation of regulations and discipline. 

The club, which was relegated to the second division (China League One) last season, was deducted three points in January for violating sports ethics, undermining the spirit of sportsmanship, and engaging in improper transactions to seek illegitimate gains.

Although widespread match-fixing, gambling-related misconduct, and corruption have been uncovered in Chinese football, where manipulation of matches had, in some cases, become an entrenched practice among industry insiders, the involvement of the judicial system has at least helped bring these issues to light. As a result, Chinese football has entered another phase of deep, systemic cleanup and reform, sports commentator Fu Zhenghao told the Global Times on Thursday. 

The move is seen as both a positive signal and a strong deterrent. Sports authorities are urged to tighten supervision and clean up the overall environment of the national football system to drive meaningful improvement in football, Wang Daozhao, another sports commentator, told the Global Times.

This round of disciplinary actions is characterized by three main features: First, the range of individuals and roles involved is more complex and diverse. Second, there is closer coordination between administrative sanctions and criminal penalties. Third, the standards for punishment have become more  detailed, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Among those banned are former Shenzhen Football Club general manager Ding Yong, former Inner Mongolia Zhongyou Football Club general manager Shi Yaoyong, and former Meizhou Hakka Football Club general manager Cao Yang.

The latest sanctions came after earlier disciplinary announcements made in September 2024 and January 2026.

In January, 73 individuals, including former CFA president Chen Xuyuan and former national team coach Li Tie, were banned for life from all football-related activities.

A total of 13 clubs have been sanctioned with point deductions for the 2026 season, including nine Chinese Super League sides and four China League One teams.

In September 2024, 43 individuals were banned for life from participating in football-related activities for gambling and match-fixing.

All member associations, clubs and related practitioners should learn from these cases, take them as a warning, remain constantly vigilant, uphold respect for rules and discipline, and firmly eliminate match-fixing, gambling, corruption and other improper transactions that undermine the fairness of competition, stated the CFA. 

The CFA said that it will strengthen discipline within the industry, improve long-term regulatory mechanisms, and promote a fundamental improvement in the overall climate and conduct of the football sector.