43 people banned for life in China stadiums

The Chinese Football Association has banned 43 people for life from all football activities over allegations of betting and match-fixing, the latest in a string of legal measures aimed at cracking down on corruption in the country's footballing landscape. Senior police official Zhang Xiaoping gave details of the two-year investigation that "exposed a series of online gambling, match-fixing and bribery". The 43 were among 128 individuals and 41 clubs involved in the fixing of 120 matches, Xinhua said. The list of those banned included 38 players and five club officials. The arrests came hours before China's national team plays Saudi Arabia in the northeastern city of Dalian in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.