China issues 73 life bans, punishes top football clubs for match-fixingListen to this articleFormer China national team head coach Li Tie is already serving a 20-year prison sentence for briberyBEIJING - China's football association issued lifetime bans to 73 people, including former national team head coach Li Tie, and punished 13 top professional clubs for match-fixing and corruption, it said Thursday. Several top officials in the Chinese Football Association (CFA) have been brought down, while dozens of players have been banned for match-fixing and gambling. He is now banned from all football activities for life, alongside 72 others, the CFA statement said. - Negative start to season -The football clubs that will be punished are similarly high-profile. President Xi is a football fan who has said he dreams of China hosting and winning the World Cup one day.
