Two Chinese basketball clubs, including the former Shanghai team of former NBA star Yao Ming, who is now president of his federation (CBA), have been excluded from the championship amid accusations of match fixing, announced Monday the national league. This decision follows an investigation launched after the meeting Friday between the Jiangsu Dragons and the Shanghai Sharks, the latter snatching victory in the very last moments.
The Shanghai Sharks, led 100-96 with 1 minute 36 seconds remaining, finally won by four points after several losses of the opponent’s ball, thus validating their qualification for the quarter-finals.
The scenario of the match had surprised many Internet users, who had accused the clubs of “match fixing” and the Chinese Basketball Federation (CBA), the body responsible for this sport in China, had launched an investigation. “It has been determined” that the accusations of “passivity” against the losing team were “consistent with reality”, the institution, chaired by Yao Ming, said in a statement on Monday. “The behavior of the two teams constitutes a serious breach of sportsmanship,” lamented the CBA, which announced several sanctions targeting the clubs.
The teams will be excluded from the championship for the rest of the 2022-2023 season, their classification will be invalidated and they will also each have to do without the 5 million yuan (660,000 euros) normally paid by the sports authorities. “It’s a weekend that leaves deep regrets,” lamented in an interview with the official press Yao Ming, a former Shanghai Sharks player before playing in the NBA for nine seasons with the Houston Rockets. “Profound lessons must be learned from this incident. Some things need to be changed. Because something positive must come out of this affair,” he said.
Coaches and managers of the Shanghai Sharks and Jiangsu Dragons have also been issued bans from coaching or engaging in any basketball-related activity for periods of between three and five years. Cases of alleged corruption in the Chinese sports world regularly hit the headlines, especially in football.
