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China football ex-chiefs Nan Yong and Xie Yalong jailed | China football ex-chiefs Nan Yong and Xie Yalong jailed |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Two ex-heads of China's football league have been jailed for 10-and-a-half years each for corruption, making them the most senior football officials sentenced. | |
Nan Yong and his predecessor Xie Yalong were both accused of accepting bribes. | |
Nan was also fined 200,000 yuan ($31,400; £20,200) and Xie is set to have personal assets and illegal takings confiscated. | |
China has increased efforts to clean up the game, hit by a series of scandals. | |
Nan, charged with 17 counts of taking bribes, was sentenced by a court in Tieling in north-eastern China. | |
Xie, who was sentenced in Dandong, denies the charges against him adding that he only confessed to the allegations under torture. | |
More than 900,000 yuan in personal assets and illegal takings of his are set to be confiscated. | |
Several other verdicts have also been delivered in similar cases in other cities, Chinese media reported. | |
In Dandong, a former national team captain was also sentenced to 10 years and six months in jail and fined 200,000 yuan. | In Dandong, a former national team captain was also sentenced to 10 years and six months in jail and fined 200,000 yuan. |
Four former national team players were sentenced in Shenyang for to up to six years' jail and fined 500,000 yuan for taking bribes and match fixing. | Four former national team players were sentenced in Shenyang for to up to six years' jail and fined 500,000 yuan for taking bribes and match fixing. |
Cleaning up | |
For long suffering Chinese football fans, the latest convictions further underline what they already knew - that the corruption in Chinese football has been deep and blatant, says the BBC's John Sudworth in Shanghai. | |
There are stories of defenders taking shots at their own goal and of whole teams refusing to play. But this year China is sending a clear message that it is cleaning up its act. | |
Dozens of people - referees, players, officials and coaches - have been arrested following a campaign to reform the sport, launched in 2009. | |
Referee Lu Jun, who officiated at the World Cup, was jailed in February for receiving more than $128,000 in bribes to fix the results of seven football league games. | Referee Lu Jun, who officiated at the World Cup, was jailed in February for receiving more than $128,000 in bribes to fix the results of seven football league games. |
Some commentators have suggested that there could be a bigger political agenda at work. | |
Xi Jinping, the man widely tipped to become China's next president is reported to have set his sight on an international footballing trophy. | |
Cleaning up corruption, coupled with the drive to bring expensive foreign talent into the game, could help raise standards, says our correspondent, although most Chinese fans would probably agree that a World Cup win is still a long way off. |
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