Shanghai Port handed five-point penalty ahead of title defence
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Jan 29 - Shanghai Port will begin the defence of their Chinese Super League title with a five-point penalty after they were among nine top-flight clubs hit with hefty punishments announced by the Chinese FA at a press conference on Thursday.
Shanghai Shenhua, last season's CSL runners-up, suffered the toughest sanction alongside Tianjin Tiger, with the pair receiving a 10-point deduction each.
The punishments were handed out by authorities as a result of an investigation into football-related gambling and match manipulation, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Qingdao Hainiu will start the season on minus seven points while Henan FC and Shandong Taishan were both hit with six-point deductions.
Wuhan Three Towns, Zhejiang FC and Beijing Guoan will start on minus five points alongside Shanghai Port.
The teams have also been fined between 200,000 and one million yuan ($29,000-$144,000).
The new CSL season kicks off in March.
The Chinese FA also said at the press conference that former CFA President Chen Xuyuan and ex-China coach Li Tie were among 73 people barred from football-related activities for life. REUTERS
