The man who used to head the mainland's soccer referees went on trial for corruption along with a soccer club boss yesterday, kicking off a series of trials that is expected to feature more than 60 officials and businessmen.
Zhang Jianqiang, a former director of the Chinese Football Association's (CFA) referees committee and a former head of women's soccer at the General Administration of Sport, was charged with accepting 2.73 million yuan (HK$3.32 million) in bribes from at least nine mainland soccer clubs and regional soccer authorities between 1997 and 2009.
He is the first senior official to go on trial following a crackdown on corruption that reached the top of the game and led to the downfall of the CFA's head.
After an investigation lasting more than 21 months, the 59-year-old Zhang stood trial at the Tieling Intermediate People's Court in Liaoning province together with Li Zhimin, chairman of the Shaanxi Guoli soccer club, who is accused of receiving 2.5 million yuan to help at least two soccer clubs rig matches.
Prosecutors told the court that Zhang was suspected of colluding with referees, rigging matches and helping clubs secure promotion in return for bribes.
He has been accused of receiving 900,000 yuan in bribes from Shaanxi Guoli between 1997 and 1998 in return for helping it gain promotion by arranging for a referee to favour the club, as well as 680,000 yuan from a club in Liaoning in 1999 to help it win a match and stay in the top division.
Zhang has also been accused of accepting 700,000 yuan to favour Shanghai Shenhua in a derby match with Shanghai International in late 2003 and dividing the money equally with referee Lu Jun after the match.