Shenhua and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger Heavily Penalized: Media Calls Them ‘Partners in Crime’ as Repeat Offenders

On Thursday, Beijing hosted a special meeting addressing football’s “match-fixing and gambling” crackdown. For the new season, Shanghai Shenhua and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger were each deducted 10 points by the Chinese Football Association. Renowned journalist Li Xuan remarked, “This is a repeat offense and shows a pattern of misconduct.”

Looking back, during the 2013 anti-corruption sweep, Shanghai Shenhua and Tianjin Teda were penalized for match-fixing, losing 6 points each and fined 1 million yuan. Thirteen years later, both clubs are once again punished, starting the 2026 season with a 10-point deduction.

Li explained further, “The reason Shenhua and Jinmen Tiger were docked 10 points is simple: in the last anti-gambling campaign, they already started with a -6 point penalty. Repeating offenses clearly marks them as habitual offenders.”

He added humorously, “It’s clear to everyone now that Tianjin and Shenhua are the true ‘partners in crime.’ They were the first to be penalized last time, and this time, they take the heaviest hit again.”