How corrupt and unsportsmanlike is soccer?

Can you call it a soccer match anymore when players want to lose, rather than win, the game? Throwing games has been happening frequently in the Chinese primary league competitions for the past several years. And it's all because of the gambling behind the competitions.

In a recently published book Inside Story of Chinese Soccer by Li Chengpeng, a reporter who has been covering soccer for many years, the sport is exposed. Competitions, according to the book, have been manipulated by those who can earn millions of yuan if a team wins or loses a match as they predict. Players were paid to lose a match; so were referees, coaches and others.

To be frank, I am not clear yet about how gambling is done in soccer and where the money comes from. I don't think many people are. But almost all Chinese people, who now and then spare some time to watch a match and are concerned about the sport, are disappointed at the poor performance of the Chinese national soccer team.