Clapham Grand
08-07-2002, 03:11 PM
Fan would never do this surely, he's an upstanding citizen of Chinese society!
Asian Footballer of the Year Fan Zhiyi has launched legal action against a Shanghai newspaper after it accused the China defender of betting on the China-Costa Rica World Cup game.
The article appeared on June 16 and claimed that when China lost their opening game against Costa Rica on June 4, Fan's gambling debts to a local syndicate were wiped out.
Fan was carrying a slight injury entering the World Cup and was substituted during the second half of the Costa Rica match, which China lost 2-0.
Fan did not play any part in China's subsequent matches against Brazil and Turkey, and the player, who is currently back in China with Shanghai Zhongyuan on loan from Dundee, is known to be furious with what the article implied.
"Anyone who knows me would know that Fan Zhiyi would never accept money to throw a match," said Fan last month. "I would never put the country's honour at stake for any amount of money and I carried an injury into the Costa Rica match."
Fan is fighting for an official apology from the publisher as well as £4,000 in compensation.
Asian Footballer of the Year Fan Zhiyi has launched legal action against a Shanghai newspaper after it accused the China defender of betting on the China-Costa Rica World Cup game.
The article appeared on June 16 and claimed that when China lost their opening game against Costa Rica on June 4, Fan's gambling debts to a local syndicate were wiped out.
Fan was carrying a slight injury entering the World Cup and was substituted during the second half of the Costa Rica match, which China lost 2-0.
Fan did not play any part in China's subsequent matches against Brazil and Turkey, and the player, who is currently back in China with Shanghai Zhongyuan on loan from Dundee, is known to be furious with what the article implied.
"Anyone who knows me would know that Fan Zhiyi would never accept money to throw a match," said Fan last month. "I would never put the country's honour at stake for any amount of money and I carried an injury into the Costa Rica match."
Fan is fighting for an official apology from the publisher as well as £4,000 in compensation.