BEIJING: The General Administration of Sport of China vowed to support the fight against corruption in soccer after Du Zhaocai, deputy director of the administration and vice-president of the Chinese Football Association, was placed under investigation by China’s top anti-graft bodies over the weekend.
Du, 63, is accused of seriously violating laws and disciplines and is subject to disciplinary review, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China and the National Supervisory Commission said on Saturday.
In June 2017, Du was appointed as Party chief of the CFA. Since also becoming vice-president in October 2018, he has led soccer-related efforts at the national level, including promoting the sport’s development and organizing events. He was also a council member of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, from 2019 until his suspension.
In a meeting on Saturday, CFA officials said they support the decision to fight corruption in soccer.
Recent cases have shown that the fight against corruption in sports administrations remains tough, it added.
The latest battle against corruption and misconduct started after Li Tie, former head coach of the Chinese men’s soccer team, was placed under investigation for serious suspected violations of laws and disciplines in November. Since then, eight current and former senior Chinese soccer officials have been placed under investigation.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
