China's soccer governing body has issued stern penalties, including lifetime bans on high-ranking individuals from the country's biggest soccer training school, after finding out about malpractices in a controversial match, as authorities ramp up efforts to weed out corruption in the sport.
中国足球管理机构在发现一场有争议的比赛中存在不当行为后，发布了严厉的处罚措施，包括对该国最大的足球培训机构的高层人员终身禁赛。当前，中国当局加大了清除足球运动腐败的力度。
The Chinese Football Association suspended the membership of the Guangzhou Football Association for two years and urged the southern city's soccer arm to rectify and rebuild its organizational team by Dec. 24, 2024, according to a statement Sunday. Six individuals — the chairman of the Guangzhou Football Association, Xie Zhiguang, and five others from the Evergrande Football School — have been found guilty of match-fixing and banned from joining any soccer-related activities managed by the national body.
根据周日的一份声明，中国足协暂停广州足球协会会员资格两年，并敦促广州足球管理部门在2024年12月24日之前整顿和重建队伍。广州足协主席谢志光和恒大足球学校的另外五人存在操控比赛的违纪行为，并被禁止从事任何在中国足协管理下与足球运动有关的活动。
The move comes after the under-15 boy's soccer final between Guangzhou and Qingyuan — both in Guangdong province — on Aug. 7 was shrouded in controversy. Qingyuan were leading the match 3-1 on home turf until approximately midway through the second half when the players appeared to suddenly stop playing, then the away team Guangzhou secured a 5-3 victory.
此前，8月7日广州和清远之间的15岁以下少年足球决赛备受争议。清远在主场以3-1领先，直到下半场中段球员突然停止比赛，随后客场广州队以5-3取胜。
Footage of the game went viral online in the following days, with many fans expressing outrage. The Chinese Football Association dispatched an investigation team a few days later.
这场比赛的视频在接下来的几天里在网上疯传，许多球迷都表达了愤怒。几天后，中国足协派出了调查组。
On Sunday, the association said the incident was “a serious violation of sporting spirit” and has had an “extremely bad influence” on the public image of soccer in China. Evergrande Football School's principal Wang Yajun, vice principal Zhang Xiuyu, and director of players Cai Guanghui, as well as coaches Li Zifei and Chen Weihua, have been banned for life from engaging in any soccer-related activities under the national body.
周日，足协表示，这一事件“严重违背体育道德”，对中国足球的公众形象造成“恶劣影响”。恒大足球学校校长王亚军、副校长张秀玉、球员总监蔡光辉以及教练黎梓菲和陈伟华被终身禁止从事任何在中国足协管理下与足球运动有关的活动。
China's soccer industry is facing a challenging period which has been marked by the disbanding of several professional clubs due to financial woes, the abysmal playing record of the men's national team, and flagging interest in domestic leagues.
中国足球产业正面临着一段充满挑战的时期，几家职业俱乐部因财务困境遭到解散，中国男足的比赛记录糟糕透顶，人们对国内联赛的兴趣也在下降。
Many sports analysts believe corruption to be a major reason for the floundering performances after years of massive investment by deep-pocketed sponsors like real-estate behemoth Evergrande and tech giant Alibaba.
许多体育分析人士认为，在房地产巨头恒大和科技巨头阿里巴巴等财力雄厚的赞助商多年来大举投资之后，腐败是中国足球表现不佳的主要原因。
Soccer regulators have been stepping up their crackdown on the sport over the past decade, with officials and coaches being handed hefty fines and lengthy prison sentences for match-fixing, bribes, and fraud. The most recent corruption investigation against former Chinese men's soccer coach Li Tie disappointed many this November.
在过去的十年间，中国足球监管机构一直在加强对这项运动的打击，官员和教练因操纵比赛、贿赂和欺诈被处以巨额罚款和长期监禁。今年11月，针对前中国男子足球教练李铁的最新腐败调查令许多人失望。
Despite the setbacks, the state has very ambitious plans for the sport and has been improving infrastructure, boosting youth training, and increasing support for women's teams in the hope of winning a World Cup before 2050. The Chinese women's soccer team are currently 14th in the FIFA women's rankings, while the men's team stands at 80th place out of 211 countries and regions.
尽管遭遇挫折，国家对足球运动有非常雄心勃勃的计划，并一直在改善基础设施，加强青年培训，并增加对中国女足的支持，希望中国女足在2050年之前赢得世界杯。中国女足目前在国际足联女子足球排名中位列第14位，而中国男足在211个国家和地区中排名第80位。