Governing body bans four adults, launches investigation after teams trying to avoid winning score six own goals between them in under-10s game

Football match-fixing has raised its ugly head again in China, this time involving an under-10 boys’ game in Beijing where two teams scored six own goals between them.

The China Youth Football League clash between top-ranked sides Dongcheng Sports School 16 Orange and Kickers Lan finished 3-3, as both tried to avoid winning their group, thereby securing an easier route through the knockout stages.

Video of the game at Xiaojiahe Lvdong Tiandi Football Field quickly went viral, and the predictable backlash across Chinese social media quickly followed.

On Friday, the national governing body, which runs the competition, said it was investigating the incident, while the Beijing Football Association (BFA) disqualified both teams and permanently banned several people from any football-related activities in the city.

“The occurrence of such an incident in a youth competition is extremely egregious and has caused a serious negative impact,” the Chinese Football Association said. “The CFA will work with relevant departments to conduct an in‑depth investigation into the management and disciplinary issues involved.

“The CFA firmly opposes any form of fake match or misconduct that poisons the healthy growth of youth football and will impose severe penalties in line with the findings.”

Social media users were united in their outrage over the incident in last weekend’s game, with football fans condemning the coaches and team leaders responsible.

“It is so ridiculous to teach young kids to fake a match,” one user wrote.

Another said: “Chinese youth football is cooked – they taught kids under 10 to play fake games.”

Some also wondered whether the referee should be punished for failing to stop the teams during the farcical fixture.

According to a match report, Dongcheng scored the first own goal, although that was deemed to be accidental. Winning 1-0 at half-time, Kickers Lan then scored three own goals after the break.

Video of the second of those showed the goalkeeper standing almost completely still as his teammate rolled the ball into the net.

A coach from Dongcheng Sports School can be heard protesting, while the referee tells him he “cannot blow the whistle for that – it’s a live ball”. The official then tells the coach he can “follow the procedure, finish the match first and then file a report”.

Instead, Doncheng opted to follow their opponents’ lead and the game finished 3-3, a result that left both teams with two wins and one draw.

Kickers Lan topped the group on goal difference, with Dongcheng second. Under the competition’s rules, group winners all advance to the upper bracket of the knockout stages, while second-placed teams enter the lower half, which is generally regarded as weaker.

The BFA said both teams had “gravely violated the spirit of fair competition”, but initially only disqualified and publicly reprimanded them, while banning four people for a year.

This was not the first match-fixing scandal in Chinese youth football.

At the 2022 Guangdong Provincial Games Under-15 final, Qingyuan led the Guangzhou team 3–1 but conceded four goals in the last 13 minutes.

After making substitutions while ahead, Qingyuan players were seen playing with clear lack of effort, including conceding a penalty and failing to defend and were eventually overturned and beaten 5-3 by Guangzhou.

The match was later confirmed to have been fixed, resulting in disciplinary action against 16 officials from the sport authorities and the dismissal of the provincial sports bureau chief.