Two Chinese football teams purposely scored own goals to try to lose a farcical match in what has been described as “an unbelievable” scene and “a smear” on the game.
Widely shared footage of the game between the over-35 sides showed them strolling about and kicking the ball into their own nets unchallenged with the match locked at 2-2 towards the end.
The teams, on the southern island province of Hainan, were desperate to lose to avoid facing a stronger opponent in the elimination round of the competition.
Hainan’s football association called it “an unbelievable scene” and urged organizers to ban both teams for life.
“We condemn this kind of unethical behavior, which is a sm…
Keep on reading: Chinese teams score own goals in ‘outrageous’ bid to lose