China begins trial of football officials in corruption scandal

The former head referee of China's football Super League went on trial on Monday on charges of bribe-taking, kicking off a series of corruption hearings involving top Chinese football officials.

A handcuffed Zhang Jianqiang appeared in court in the eastern city of Dandong charged with accepting match-fixing bribes totalling 2.6 million yuan ($409,600), state television showed.

Jianqiang is the first senior official to go on trial after a crackdown on corruption that reached the top echelons of the game, and led to the downfall of the head of the Chinese Football Association (CFA).

Gambling, match-fixing, crooked referees and poor performances by the national team made the sport the laughing stock of increasingly indifferent fans, and a matter of state concern.

CFA officials have long been accused of routinely fixed matches, including national team and league games, by allegedly buying off the teams or referees involved.

The suspect CFA officials also reportedly accepted pay-offs from players wanting to be named to the national team - practice that was also widespread among league clubs.

Sponsors abandoned the sport, and state television network CCTV refused to broadcast Super League games.

More than 20 former football officials and referees including former CFA vice head Yang Yimin and Lu Jun, a Chinese referee who officiated at 2002 World Cup, will go on trial this week, the state Xinhua news agency said.

Li Songhua, a local football fan, celebrated the historic trial outside of the Tieling court on Monday, holding two placards which read "The rebirth of Chinese soccer" and "Hopefully, the resurrection of Chinese soccer starts right here".

Corruption in Chinese football was explored in a feature in the January/February 2009 issue of Australasian Leisure Management.

Image: The Chinese national football team take on New Zealand.

2nd February 2010 - POLICE DETAIN TOP CHINESE FOOTBALL OFFICIALS