The detention of more of the men who used to run mainland soccer has surprised many insiders who say it signals a new wave in the sport's anti-corruption drive.
But they also say it is hard to tell what the target of the campaign is and who will be the next to fall.
The Ministry of Public Security confirmed early last week that former China Football Association (CFA) chief Xie Yalong, former national team manager Wei Shaohui and Li Dongsheng, the former director of the CFA's referee committee, had been detained for investigation.
State media also reported last week that Li Tong, a former Olympic hurdler and now a marketing director for US sportswear giant Nike, was detained for about a week by police and questioned about Nike's huge sponsorship deal with the mainland's Super League and his relationship with Nan Yong, Xie's successor.
Nan and two of his top aides were formally arrested early this year for alleged match-fixing and bribery.
Mainland soccer circles had once speculated that the crackdown, targeting official corruption, match-fixing, and gambling, was close to an end after Nan's detention. But the recent police action is a reminder that the campaign is continuing.
'You can say it's a little surprising to see Xie detained,' Ma Dexing, the deputy editor of sports newspaper Titan Sports Weekly, said. 'But as outsiders, we really do not know what the state leaders' next step will be. It's a top-down campaign.'
