Gov't cuts loose ex-CFA chief
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Xie Yalong, the former head of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), has been removed from his post in the China Sports Industry Group after he was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of bribery and match fixing in a sweeping campaign to clean up the sport.
China Central Television (CCTV) reported Monday that Xie had been sacked as Party secretary of the China Sports Industry Group, a listed company under the General Administration of Sport of China.
Analysts believe the move signals that the crackdown against corrupt football offi-cials is coming to an end as Xie is the most prominent senior football official to have come under investigation.
China News Service reported Wednesday that the group will hold a board meeting soon to discuss personnel changes.
The company's share prices increased by 2 percent after Xie's removal was announced, the report said.
Authorities are also investigating the former national team manager Wei Shaohui, and Li Dongsheng, the former director of Chinese football's referee committee, the Ministry of Public Security announced earlier.
Wang Dazhao, a football commentator with the People's Daily, told the Global Times that Xie's case indicated the campaign against corruption in football was drawing to a close.
"To some extent, Xie is the last big fish caught. But whether they will be convicted depends on whether they were involved in economic scandals, otherwise they may just be considered guilty of dereliction of duty," Wang said.
Liu Peng, minister of the General Administration of Sport, broke his silence on the subject during an interview with CCTV Monday.
Liu said in the interview that there would be no hope for China's football if gambling and match fixing, which he described as a tumor, were not eradicated.
"We must take drastic measures against those people who manipulated gambling and match fixing through illegal means," he said.
"The authorities will continue to carry out the necessary steps to crack down on those crimes," he added.
Liu said the CFA is keen to reform football, and change a system that sees the body not only organizing but also supervising matches.
"An irrational system also leads to corruption. Therefore, reform is necessary. We are now considering measures for the reform," he said.
Wang, the football commentator, said authorities should also reflect on whether they had made mistakes, as they were ultimately responsible for selecting all football officials.
He added that while the football world has been under suspicion from fans for many years, authorities only began to take action last year.
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