In the early morning of August 20, the People's Court of Songzi City, Hubei Province, opened the curtain on the trial of Huang Song, the former head of the competition department of the CFA, for accepting bribes. Huang Song was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined 600,000 yuan for accepting bribes. The court also recovered his illegal gains and confiscated them into the state treasury.
In response to the case, Han Qiaosheng, a well-known sports commentator, expressed his opinion. He mentioned that the Songzi Municipal People's Court in Hubei Province made a first-instance judgment on the bribery case of Huang Song, a former minister of the Chinese Football Association (CFA). Huang Song was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment and a fine of 600,000 yuan for the crime of bribery. In addition, his illegal gains will be confiscated. Han Qiaosheng emphasized that this verdict is not only a punishment for Huang Song personally, but also a serious blow to corruption in the whole sports world.
During his tenure, Huang Song was primarily responsible for communicating with the AFC and the West Asian national soccer associations to provide advance preparation for China's men's and women's soccer teams to participate in international tournaments. He was directly responsible for the funding of the national team's overseas training and matches, which gave him access to large amounts of money. However, this is not an excuse for him to take bribes. What is needed for the development of Chinese soccer is a clean and honest environment, as well as the self-restraint and tireless efforts of every practitioner. Huang Song's case warns us that in any profession, integrity and fairness are the bottom line that cannot be touched. May the soccer association learn a lesson from this case, rectify the situation from within, effectively improve the competitive level and spirit, and contribute to the great revival of Chinese soccer.
