this is a harsh punishment to be honest, why not go for a hefty fine and a couple of years behind bars so that when they serve they can be the ambassadors to dicourage their fellow professional footballers from this bad business practice that seems to be growing all around the world...
Even this kind of punishment you speak of is also harsh but I really can not defend players that involves themselves in such kind of corrupt act, they actually deserve what ever punishment they receive. Banning them or dismissal from playing for life is actually a good punishment that others can learn from too.
I would rather see long term prison sentences given to these criminals. They're not only cheating the game, but they are cheating the bettors out of a ton of money. What if someone lost a huge bet and took their life over it? Would you blame the cheaters? Would you tell people they shouldn't be gambling?
Same opinion as that of @Woodie, it was exactly the same thought that ran through my head too but I didn't want to sound too harsh. They are supposed to be banned from playing and also sentence to prison because they must have caused some gamblers to lose a huge sum of money.
Imagine if law enforcement could track the amount of money they robbed from people. Anything over $1 million stolen results in death by firing squad or something crazy. Really no reason tax payers of any country should have to pay to house these fucktards for the next xxx years. Maximum punishment might really put an end to the corruption.