By Andrew Warshaw
February 19 – In a damaging blow to the image of football in China, which has been spending like crazy to acquire top players towards the end of their careers, Shanghai Shenhua have been stripped of their 2003 league title and fined £103,000 as part of on ongoing investigation into a match fixing scandal.
The club, recently home to the likes of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, has also been docked six points ahead of the start of the new season.
Altogether, 33 people have been banned for life by the Chinese Football Association including former association chiefs Nan Yong and Xie Yalong, who also received jail sentences, 2002 World Cup referee Lu Jun and four former Chinese internationals. Some offences date back a decade or more.
Chinese authorities have spent years trying to curtail rampant corruption but the sanctions will not go unnoticed in a country trying to make serious inroads into attracting big-name international stars with the promise of fat salaries.
Drogba, who scored the decisive penalty that won the Champions League for Chelsea last season, signed for Shenhua on a two and half year contract amid much fanfare shortly afterwards but moved back to Europe with Galatasaray last month, citing the club’s failure to pay his wages.
Anelka joined Shenhua from Chelsea in January last year but recently switched to Italian champions Juventus on a short-term deal.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734862325labto1734862325ofdlr1734862325owedi1734862325sni@w1734862325ahsra1734862325w.wer1734862325dna1734862325
