China's soccer governing body has expressed its full support for a recent nationwide crackdown launched by police on gambling on professional matches.

"Gambling and match-fixing are severe violations of Chinese laws and also a kind of cancer that damages soccer. We should resolutely stamp them out in the sport," the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said in a statement on its website Friday night.

"The CFA has always firmly opposed footballers' behaviors that breach laws or go against sportsmanship. We completely support the crackdown on match-fixing and gambling by relevant government departments," it added.

Cui Dalin, deputy minister of China's State General Administration of Sport, warned players this week that they could be banned for life if being caught gambling or match-fixing.

A large-scale probe into possible organized gambling and match-fixing on professional matches have hit the headlines of many newspapers as well as websites since the beginning of this month.

Police have yet to confirm these reports which can only cite anonymous "reliable sources" instead of official information but the investigation has turned into an open secret in the soccer circle.

More than 100 club officials, players, coaches and local soccer officials were questioned by police in the probe that started over a year ago, according to the Peninsula Morning Post, a newspaper based in northeast Liaoning Province where the crackdown originated.

A gambling ring was recently broken down by Liaoning police and further investigation found it worked together soccer insiders to manipulate Chinese professional league matches, the Beijing Youth Daily said.