Several former officials from the Chinese Football Association are going on trial at the intermediate people's courts in Tieling and Dandong city, in northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Zhang Jianqiang, a former director of the Chinese Football Association's referee committee, is the first defendant to appear in court on charges of match-fixing and bribery.

They were charged with accepting bribes and match fixing. Several top referees are also standing trial, and the government hopes its anti-corruption campaign will improve football's reputation in the country.

Zhang Jianqiang was the first defendant to appear in the dock. The ex-director of the Chinese Football Association referee committee went on trial at Tieling city. Zhang was arrested in March 2011 for match-fixing and bribery and faced two charges of bribe-taking and bribery by non-public servants.

The public prosecutor read out the bill of indictment, charging Zhang with accepting bribes between 1997 and 2002, when he was deputy director of the business department at the General Administration of Sport of China, director of the female sport department and ex-director of the Chinese Football Association referee committee.

The indictment said Zhang accepted a total bribe of 2.38 million yuan, or $375,000 U-S dollars. Zhang did not deny the charges. More people accused in the Chinese corruption and match-fixing scandals will also face trial this week, including former Shaanxi general manager Wang Po, and several top referees, including Lu Jun, a 2002 World Cup referee, who earned a reputation as the country's "Golden Whistle".

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