Mainland sportswriters and journalists were exhilarated yesterday, claiming they had finally discovered the root cause of the country's substandard soccer performance. The interrogation of top officials at the Chinese Football Association, the biggest development yet in a months-long police crackdown on soccer-related crimes, has opened a window of opportunity for the nation's most popular but scandal-plagued game, they said. In an expansion of an inquiry into corruption and match-fixing in the sport, Nan Yong, the de facto chief of the government-backed association, was taken away by Shenyang police for questioning, along with two of his senior aides. The fact that the Ministry of Public Security went public to confirm wide speculation that top soccer leaders may have been implicated in ongoing cases is unprecedented. Observers of the sport said it underscored the seriousness of the cases and revealed the true scale of corruption in the game. 'But it is by no means a bad thing for the sport,' said Jin Shan, a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences. 'It is great news because after years of soul-searching, we have finally come to understand that instead of soccer skills, tactics or the physical condition of our players, corruption is the main culprit for our woeful standard of play and poorly organised professional leagues.' Li Chengpeng - a popular soccer columnist who co-wrote The Inside Story of Chinese Soccer, a recent book on the rampant corruption in the sport - agreed. 'We have realised that our players should not be blamed the most for China's repeated failure to achieve qualification for the World Cup finals,' he said. 'Now we have been told that it was official corruption that has almost destroyed the 'Beautiful Game'. No doubt it is also an indictment of our [sports and political] system as a whole.' Ma Dexing, a well-known soccer writer, noted the rare police move came amid intense public interest in the anti-corruption probe. Although it remained too early to say whether the officials were guilty, it showed the central government's determination to root out corruption and other crimes in the sport, he said. 'It can do no harm to China's soccer, which has already been at its worst anyway,' Ma said. Rather, he said the anti-graft campaign would help rekindle public confidence in the sport and attract more business sponsors. 'A lot of people have been scared away by rampant corruption and opaque rules in the sport, and combating corruption is in the interest of the billion-dollar soccer business,' he said. But others said the latest detentions in the inquiry were likely to be the tip of the iceberg. 'We hope the investigation can be carried forward, although it must be difficult and it means more heads will roll, because a thorough investigation is the last hope for the scandal-rocked soccer,' Li said. Both Jin and Li said it was time for sports officials, players and researchers to think about what is the next step for soccer. 'The damage to the game from corruption, gambling and match-fixing involving top officials is devastating. We have to tackle the problems at the very root,' Jin said. But Ma cautioned against such rosy predictions, saying that like the political system, the sports system was unlikely to change soon. Although corruption is also a big problem in many other sports, there is no sign that the anti-corruption campaign will have a spill-over effect. Still, the secretive probe, the details of which remain murky, has offered few clues about how soccer can recover, as state leaders have demanded recently. President Hu Jintao, Vice-President Xi Jinping and State Councillor Liu Yandong have expressed their disappointment at the low standard of the national team. Looking ahead, Xi said China would one day produce a team capable of winning championships - but admitted that it would 'take a long time'. Offside How mainland soccer fans feel about the crackdown on corruption I?ve been disappointed in China?s soccer industry for a long time. No one is clean - the coaches, players or officials. It?s good to have an anti-corruption storm, but is it too late when almost all soccer lovers feel let down? Yao Shibo Boss of Shenzhen export firm Too many sports officials and teams are involving in gambling. Can you arrest all of them? I know that one of this week?s Chinese Basketball Association matches was rigged. My friend told me the result of the game before it started - and he was right. John Ma Guangzhou businessman The Chinese soccer league is s***. I don?t care who has been taken away or sentenced. The authorities have been talking about soccer reforms for years. Nothing has changed - it?s just got worse. Luo Xi Dancer in Chengdu These corrupt officials should have been detained long ago. But I don?t think this will improve sporting standards. The problem is the professionals are being supervised by inexperienced officials Gao Yongxian Beijing advertising executive I know some big fish in Guangzhou soccer are still beyond the arm of the law. I will not have any confidence in the industry while these associations control mainland soccer. These officials know nothing about soccer. Liu Xiaoyi Guangzhou soccer fan Putting several officials behind bars will help, but the question is how deep the investigation will go. I don?t think detaining these officials has anything to do with enhancing our soccer players? skills Wu Hao Beijing office worker
