By David Gold
April 26 – The former chief of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), Xie Yalong (pictured), has stood trial for allegedly accepting bribes.
China has been investigating corruption in football, which has led to a number of officials and players arrests, including a former World Cup referee, Lu Jun.
He admitted having taken bribes from four teams, including Shanghai Shenhua, the team who signed Nicolas Anelka from Chelsea earlier this year.
China has for years been trying to generate interest in the game in the country, and these investigations, which begun in 2009, are a key part of that.
In recent times, Chinese teams have started to flex their muscles internationally with some eye catching signings, including Anelka and Guangzhou Evergrande’s capture of Argentine ace Dario Conca, just after he had been awarded the Brazilian Player of the Year honour after leading Internacional to the Brasileiro title.
Yalong, 56, is standing trial along with his successor, Nan Yong, in Dandong and Liaoning respectively.
They are the two highest profile officials being charged, whilst a quartet of former Chinese internationals are also set to face trial today in Shenyang.
Amid the trials, current CFA chief Wei Di has pledged not to become complacent about corruption, and told Chinese news agency Xinhua: “Lessons have been learned from the scandals, but similar cases might happen again in the future.
“We must stay vigilant all along.
“We are also considering joining hands with the FIFA and Interpol in the fight against corruption to ensure a clean environment for the game.”
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