Nine teams docked points, pro league rocked by corruption | OneFootball

Players like Hulk, Didier Drogba, or Nicolas Anelka were supposed to make the Chinese Super League big. To ignite a football hype that would establish China as a football nation on the world map.

By the year 2026, professional football, eaten away by corruption, lies in ruins.

On Friday, the Super League kicked off the new season. However, several points were already deducted from the table in January. Negative points. A total of 69 points were deducted from nine teams before the season started. The reason?

The association was able to prove match-fixing, bribery, or gambling to several teams. Symbolic of the current situation in China is Guangzhou FC.

The Chinese record champion and three-time Asian Champions League winner was completely excluded from professional football in 2025. The club, for which former Dortmund player Lucas Barrios once played and which was coached by world champion Fabio Cannavaro, was too heavily in debt.  

How long the rest of the league will be able to operate in professional football remains to be seen given the current situation. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 AFP - 2012 AFP