In 2023, the Chinese football industry has carried out more than half a year of "crackdown" and "anti-gambling", which is a big campaign that has caused a sensation throughout the country. A total of 11 senior officials of the Football Association were arrested this time, Li Tie, Chen Yongliang, Liu Yi, Chen Jiayuan, Huang Song, Wang Xiaoping, Wang Xiaoping, Yu Hongchen, Du Zhaocai, Dong Zheng, Ma Chengquan, and Li Yuyi. At least four of these people are vice presidents of the FA or higher. In addition, the "Chinese Super League match-fixing" incident also involved several football celebrities in Shandong Taishan, including Hao Wei, Sun Junhao, Jin Jingdao, etc., all of whom must be punished by law.
In this "crackdown" and "anti-gambling", one of the main characters is Wang Dengfeng, former vice president of the Chinese Football Association. "Xinhua News Agency" said that the trial of Wang Dengfeng's case will begin at 7 p.m. on the 14th. He was charged with accepting bribes of more than 9.66 million yuan and illegally possessing more than 46.7 million yuan of public funds, totaling more than 50 million yuan. Wang Dengfeng admitted the facts of the crime at the trial and asked for leniency. However, according to the sentencing standards for "crackdown" and "anti-gambling" in football in 2009, senior officials who embezzle more than one million yuan will be sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. Because Wang Dengfeng involved a huge amount of 50 million funds, he is likely to be sentenced to the heaviest sentence.
Wang Dengfeng, 58, was born in Anqiu City, Shandong Province. He was the Director General of the Department of Sports, Health and Aesthetic Education of the Ministry of Education in November 2011 and the Vice President of the Chinese Football Association from 2014 to 2019. Cai Zhenhua served under him. At the same time, he has also held many important positions in world football, such as the leader of the National Youth School Football Leading Group, and the deputy director of the Chinese Youth Team Competition Committee. It can be seen that Wang Dengfeng's power and status in the football industry are very high, and he has served in the Football Association for 5 years, which has surpassed Chen Jiayuan.
The verdict in Wang's case will be announced at a later date and may result in a longer sentence. At the same time, Li Tie, the former head coach of the national football team, was also released from detention and is under criminal detention awaiting subsequent interrogation. Li Tie's case is also very large, not only has more than a billion deposits in a certain bank, but also bought a house abroad. As a manager with an annual salary of 8 million, his net worth is more than one billion, and the amount of this can be imagined.
From the perspective of time, Li Tie's case is likely to be a trial in the next few months, which will definitely attract the attention of many people. Next, Chen Jiayuan, Du Zhaocai, and other senior officials from former football clubs will appear in court. The oldest of them is Du Zhaocai, who is now the deputy director of the State General Administration of Sports, that is, the vice minister. This crackdown, involving the high-level of the sports system, the amount of money involved will naturally be exposed, which is an unimaginable figure. This is the largest "purge of corruption" campaign in the history of Chinese football, and it is also a new spring for Chinese football.
The end of this anti-corruption campaign marks an opportunity for change in Chinese football. As one of the most popular sports in China, football has always attracted much attention. However, over the years, corruption in football has persisted, undermining not only the fairness and impartiality of football, but also the reputation of Chinese football on the world stage. The launch of this operation demonstrates the Chinese government's determination and firm belief in football reform.
It is hoped that under the impetus of this anti-gang crime and anti-corruption campaign, Chinese football can achieve truly clean and healthy development. In addition to rectifying the football association system and cracking down on violations such as match-fixing, it is also necessary to strengthen the construction of the football youth training system, improve the professional level of coaches and players, and create a fair competition environment. Only in this way can Chinese football regain its vitality and usher in new glory. It is expected that Chinese football can usher in spring and let football fans and fans see a better future.