group of high-ranking Chinese sports officials headed for Japan Tuesday afternoon, hoping to bring back the secret behind the island country's stunning soccer success over the years.
The trials of the soccer officials and referees and the punishment meted out to the teams involved in bribery scandals could be the first major incision to remove the tumor.
A soccer referee who ironically won the name as "patriotic whistle" for officiating in favor of Chinese teams, had been bribed by local soccer bodies, said a northeastern Chinese court.
Shanghai Shenhua Football Club paid 5.5 million yuan to win a derby match in 2003 and secure that year's league championship, a court heard yesterday as trials over corruption in Chinese soccer entered their third day.
It may take just two hours for China's league champion to dismantle its South Korean counterpart, but it would take years to rebuild the image of Chinese Super League(CSL) which was marred by corruption and poor performances.