Chinese football corruption: 2 more high-profile officials under investigation
- Ex-football association vice-president Li Yuyi and former chairman of the CSL Ma Chengquan ‘cooperating with authorities’
- Chinese investigators have wide powers to hold suspects for lengthy interrogations and pre-trial detention
Two more former Chinese football officials have been placed under investigation for corruption, adding to a list of sports administrators suspected of unspecified illegal activities.
The latest to fall were former Chinese Football Association (CFA) vice-president Li Yuyi, and Ma Chengquan, the ex-chairman of the Chinese Super League Company, which runs the country’s top-flight professional league.
Two-sentence official statements said they were suspected of “serious violations of laws and regulations”, and they were cooperating with authorities.
The statements said they were being investigated by the ruling Communist Party’s corruption watchdog, the sports ministry’s anti-graft body, and by disciplinary authorities in Hubei province, south of Beijing. No details were given about the charges.
Speculation about their alleged misdoings generally centres around embezzlement, the taking of bribes to award positions, and general abuse of power. Government statements have alluded to a lack of proper oversight but have offered few other clues.
Chinese investigators have wide powers to hold suspects for lengthy interrogations and pre-trial detention. Even once verdicts are rendered, however, many of the details are kept from the public.