A top soccer referee who went on trial in Beijing yesterday in connection with a match-fixing scandal has been given a 10-year jail term.
International soccer referee Gong Jianping appeared before a court in Xuanwu district to face charges of taking bribes, the China News Service reported.
The trial followed a series of match-fixing allegations in the nation's professional football league.
Prosecutors said Gong had received 100,000 yuan (HK$94,400) in bribes from Zhejiang-based Lu Cheng Soccer Club for fixing two matches in April and July last year.
Gong was the first person implicated in the incidents to be charged, and his sentence is widely expected to set a precedent for any subsequent cases.
The trial follows a 10-month investigation.
