FIFA extends Chinese match-fixing bans

London: FIFA has confirmed that those suspended for match-fixing and bribery in China had had their bans extended to "worldwide effect".

A total of 58 people in the country were handed the initial punishments in 2010, with 25 receiving five-year suspensions while the remaining 33 were handed life-bans from the game, though initially exclusively to China. "Fifa can today confirm the extension of disciplinary sanctions to 58 individuals relating to domestic match-fixing and bribery investigations in China PR that date back to 2010," it read. "The Chairman of the Fifa Disciplinary Committee has extended the sanctions to have worldwide effect in accordance with article 78 paragraph 1(c) and article 136ff of the Fifa Disciplinary Code. "This follows investigations and trials conducted by Chinese judicial authorities between 2010 and 2012 in which the Chinese Football Association (CFA) cooperated fully. The cases involved relate to incidents of match-fixing that took place in the 1990s and early 2000s. "In taking those sanctions and notifying Fifa of them, the CFA has emphasised its on-going commitment to stamping out all forms of match-fixing and corruption in the game." Super League outfit Shanghai Shenhua - the former club of Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba - were stripped of their 2003 title after being found guilty of match-fixing earlier this month, and were handed a €120,000 fine and a six-point deduction for the current campaign. Earlier this month, a special report from Europol revealed that 380 suspicious matches across the world were under investigation, with a criminal syndicate based in Singapore thought to be at the heart of the problem. Goal.com