Football is one of the most popular sports in the world, and it is not only a competitive sport, but also a cultural phenomenon. Although Chinese football is still very young on the world stage, it has also experienced many ups and downs in recent years. Corruption has plagued the development of Chinese football and cast a shadow over the sport. However, in recent years, the anti-corruption efforts of Chinese football have been unprecedentedly increased, and there is finally a ray of light. Let's take a look at this harrowing topic.
The problem of corruption in Chinese football can be said to be deep-rooted, like a stubborn disease that is difficult to cure. This kind of corruption has existed for a long time, like a warts on the skin, ugly and inexhaustible. Whether it's at the level of the professional league, or for amateur players and youth academies, corruption extends to a greater or lesser extent.
Referee enforcement, for example, is a key part of the fairness and impartiality of the game, but there have been cases of manipulation scandals. Some referees are influenced by connections or financial interests in the process of law enforcement, and there is a situation of favoritism or retaliation against certain teams or players. For example, in a key match in 2015, the referee was accused of turning a blind eye to a foul on one side and making a serious mistake in the decision. This kind of obvious favoritism and malpractice has seriously undermined the fairness of football.
Another example is the transfer of players and the appointment of coaches, there are also cases of corruption running rampant from time to time. Some club executives or football association officials, in order to seek personal gain, will collude with players or intermediaries to offer and accept bribes. They are no longer pursuing the interests of the club and the development of football, but the excessive pursuit of maximizing personal interests, completely ignoring sportsmanship and professional ethics.
For example, in 2018, it was revealed that a famous player bribed club executives hundreds of thousands of yuan in order to obtain higher salaries during the transfer. And in 2020, there was also a scandal in which the head coach was exposed to bribery in exchange for reappointment. These corrupt elements are a desecration of football and a negative teaching material that is stained everywhere.
Football has always been regarded as the representative of Sunshine Sports, and the professional ethics of coaches, as the soul of the team, are particularly important. But what is sad is that even in this high-hopedly position, corruption scandals have surfaced from time to time.
For example, in 2020, the head coach of a famous club was exposed to a scandal of bribery in exchange for reappointment. According to the exposed insider, before the contract expired, the coach gave hundreds of thousands of yuan of "benefit fees" to the club's senior management through intermediaries in exchange for the opportunity for the club to continue coaching. This kind of behavior is undoubtedly a desecration of the entire football industry, which not only corrupts sportsmanship, but also damages the team's image.
Another example is in 2018, the head coach of another team was also investigated for accepting money, just because he kicked the door during the transfer period, made a sky-high contract renewal request to the club, and secretly bribed the senior management to get approved. What these coaches are doing is nothing less than putting financial interests above their careers and blaspheming the profession of coaching.
In fact, corruption scandals can be seen everywhere in Chinese football in recent years. From youth training to professional leagues, from referees to officials to players and coaches, corruption has occurred in almost all areas, resulting in a collapse in the level and image of football.
Taking the foundation of youth training as an example, the heads of some youth training camps have been exposed to the scandal of falsely reporting the number of students and fraudulently receiving funds. In the professional league, there are also players who are accused of taking bribes and manipulating the direction of the game.
These corrupt elements are undoubtedly ruining the sunshine sport of football. What they have done is tantamount to slandering and tarnishing the entire football industry, and seriously dragging down the development prospects of Chinese football. Therefore, it is necessary for us to make up our minds and make up our minds to fundamentally remove these cancer of corruption and let Chinese football regain its sunny nature.
The fight against corruption is a protracted battle, and it is not a one-time solution to the problem. Although the anti-corruption efforts in Chinese football have been unprecedentedly increased in recent years, there are still many loopholes and blind spots, allowing some corrupt elements to take advantage of loopholes.
For example, at the level of law enforcement and supervision, the relevant systems are not perfect enough, and there are many loopholes. In some places, there is too much reliance on reporting clues, and the means of supervision are single, and it is easy to overlook some corrupt acts. For example, in terms of education and training, it is still insufficient, resulting in a lack of awareness of integrity and deviation in values for many practitioners.
In order to truly reverse this passive situation and fundamentally curb the trend of corruption, it is necessary to start from the source, rectify the situation in an all-round way, and consolidate the basic line of defense. The first is to strengthen education and training, and strive to establish the correct values of practitioners. It is necessary to make it clear that football is a sunshine sport, advocate fair competition and sportsmanship, and never tolerate corruption. At the same time, it is necessary to popularize the relevant laws and regulations, so that everyone knows that violations will be severely punished.
The second is to improve the regulatory system and weave a dense anti-corrosion "heaven and earth net". It is necessary to establish diversified channels for supervision and reporting, encourage internal personnel to have the courage to expose them, and provide them with protection. At the same time, we should improve the punishment mechanism, and never be soft on those who are found to be corrupt, so that they will pay a heavy price.
In addition, the regulatory authorities should also strengthen their own internal construction to ensure that the "supervisors" themselves are clean and clean. Social supervision forces can be introduced in a timely manner to enhance the credibility of supervision. Only by starting with all links and rectifying the situation in an all-round way can we fundamentally block the source of corruption and curb the spread of this bad tendency. Only in this way can we finally clean up the roots of Chinese football, reshape the image of sunshine, and rejuvenate this corroded cause.
Corruption is a stumbling block to the development of any industry, and football is no exception. I believe that the root cause of such rampant corruption in Chinese football is the blind pursuit of monetary gain by some people. They disregard sportsmanship and sporting honor, and are mercenary. This is a betrayal and a desecration of football.
We should take this as a warning and make all practitioners aware of the dangers of corruption. At the same time, the relevant departments and the Football Association should also increase the punishment and make the corrupt pay a heavy price. Only in this way can we ensure that football, the "sunshine sport", will always be pure. Corruption is like a heavy stumbling block, which has long constrained the pace of development of China's football industry. Only by completely solving this stubborn disease and removing this stumbling block can Chinese football regain its vitality and embark on a new journey.
We must be soberly aware that the harm that corruption has brought to Chinese football is all-encompassing. It not only seriously undermines the fairness and justice of football, a sunny sport, but also greatly damages the image of football and hinders young people's love for football. What is more serious is that the greed and speculation of corrupt elements have directly dragged down the improvement of China's football level.
Therefore, tackling corruption has become a top priority. We must be determined to persevere in the fight against corruption. Whether it's in the professional league or the youth academy, whether it's on and off the field, we must eradicate these hotbeds of corruption.
We must severely punish corrupt elements who have already been verified, and we will never be soft-hearted. At the same time, it is also necessary to improve the relevant systems and weave a dense "net of heaven and earth" for law enforcement and supervision, so that corrupt elements have nowhere to hide. What is more important is to intensify propaganda and education, so that all practitioners can firmly establish correct values and consciously stay away from the abyss of corruption, which will never recover.
Only by doing a good job in these tasks and completely removing the stumbling block of corruption can China's football cause start anew and embark on a new journey. Although we started late, we have broad prospects for development. As long as we unite as one and work with one heart and one mind, we will be able to write a new chapter in Chinese football in the new era.