China's soccer sector has once again taken on a storm of anti-corruption action after a 14-year hiatus. Compared to 2009, this time the operation is bigger and stronger, and the officials of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) who have been punished are of a higher rank. 63-year-old Du Zhaocai has made history as the highest-ranking official investigated in the soccer sector, in his position as deputy director of the General Administration of Sport. Compared to him, Chen Xuyuan, the president of the Football Association, was arrested much earlier, and a number of middle-ranking officials in the Association were also implicated. The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has been almost completely purged, and its officials, including Gao Hongbo and Sun Wen, have been sticking to the bottom line, working in a low-key manner and genuinely trying to look out for the development of Chinese soccer.
Soccer has been quiet for about two months. I thought the fight against corruption was over, but I didn't realize that heavyweights were taken away. According to reporter Xu Jiang, former referee department head Tan Hai and former national soccer team captain Qi Jun were investigated and they were taken away directly during the meeting. I don't know if they will ever come out. Earlier, the State General Administration of Sports gave these people a chance. As long as they returned the stolen money and volunteered to explain the problem, they could be dealt with in a lighter way. About nine people volunteered to cooperate. They should face a lighter punishment, but with Tan Hai and Qi Jun arrested directly, the problem should be very serious.
According to celebrity journalist Li Pingkang, it is still unclear whether Tan Hai will be involved with other referees, but Qi Jun was probably supplied by a middle-ranking member of the FA who was previously arrested. From this, it should be a high-ranking official of the FA who confessed to supplying Tan Hai, and the task force will definitely use Tan Hai as a breakthrough to conduct a thorough investigation into the refereeing sector as a next step. 53-year-old Tan Hai used to be the head of the refereeing department. He was also the Golden Whistle of the Chinese Super League. Being taken away means the referees started to degenerate. He is also the first soccer anti-corruption referee to be arrested in 2023.
Qi Jun also plays an important role in the CFA, not only as the former head of the competition department, but also as the leader of the national team. According to domestic media reports, at 9:30 a.m. on July 21, all members of the CFA attended an important meeting. During the meeting, Qi Jun, Minister of Strategic Planning, and Tan Hai, Minister of Technical Department, were "invited" to leave the meeting by cadres from the Discipline Inspection Department of the CFA, and they never returned.
In other words, in fact, the State General Administration of Sports (SGAS) and the Football Association (FA) gave Qi Jun and Tan Hai a chance.July 18 was also the deadline for the SGAS to ask some officials to come forward and explain their problems. In the past day, two senior FA officials were taken away, acting very quickly. It is evident that Qi Jun and Tan Hai did not take the initiative to explain their problems or return the stolen money. They will be severely punished. It is expected that they regret it now.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has now had 13 people arrested, including Du Zhaocai and Chen Xuyuan, who used to be leaders of the CFA, as well as middle management of the CFA such as Liu Yi, Chen Yongliang, Wang Xiaoping, Huang Song, Qi Jun and Tan Hai, who have also been taken away. In addition, former FA vice-chairman Yu Hongchen, former FA vice-chairman Li Yuyi, and former CSL chairman Ma Chengquan, who used to hold important positions in the FA, were also arrested. The corruption in the soccer world is unusually serious this time around, and we'll see if any bigger corruption cases surface.
