Editorial | Corruption needs red card if China is to be a sporting powerhouse
- Biggest graft scandal in a decade threatens to drag Chinese men’s football to an even lower level with investigations also spreading to other sports
The appointment of a new head coach for China’s men’s football team and the resumption of the Chinese Super League should make this an exciting time for the country’s long-suffering fans. But the attempt by the sport to recover from the impact of the pandemic has been overshadowed by the biggest corruption scandal in a decade.
The investigation is growing, with implications for the sports sector generally.
One of the officials investigated is Du Zhaocai, deputy head of the nation’s sports administrator and vice-chairman of the Chinese Football Association (CFA). He is among nine senior football figures probed.
A working group of leading officials from various sporting backgrounds has now been tasked with leading the association. The investigation of Du marks a dramatic change in his fortunes.
He was elected a member of the Fifa Council in 2019, giving China a representative on the international body. China then won the right to host the Asian Cup for the first time since 2004, but it gave up that right last year, because of the pandemic.
Du later lost his seat on the council. Now, he is being investigated along with former president of the CFA, Chen Xuyuan, and ex-men’s team coach Li Tie.
