rule of law (file photo) Photo: VCG

China's anti-corruption campaign in soccer sector has entered a period of intensive trials in the latest week. Experts said that it's important to eradicate the soil and conditions that breed corruption. 

Du Zhaocai, former deputy head of the General Administration of Sport of China, stood trial on charges of accepting bribes on Wednesday, and the case was heard by the Intermediate People's Court of Wuhan in Central China's Hubei Province. From 2012 to 2022, Du used his positions to illegally benefit organizations and individuals by helping them with tournament hosting, personnel arrangements and player transfers. Prosecutors found that he received over 43.41 million yuan ($6.1 million) in money and valuables in return for his actions, according to the court. In his final statement, Du pleaded guilty and expressed remorse.

In November 2022, Li Tie, former head coach of China's national men's soccer team was under investigation for accepting bribes and other crimes, sparking an anti-corruption campaign in soccer sector. Since then, more than 10 senior and mid-level officials in the sector were also under investigation, according to thepaper.cn on Wednesday.

In a separate case on August 19, Li Yuyi, a former vice president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) was sentenced to 11 years for accepting bribes, and fined 1 million yuan. Li's illegal gains from the bribery will be recovered and turned over to the state treasury, according to the Intermediate People's Court of Jingzhou in Hubei.

On August 20, Huang Song, former director of the competition department of the CFA, was sentenced to seven years for taking bribes, and was fined 600,000 yuan, according to the People's Court of Songzi in Hubei. Also, on Monday, Qi Jun, former head of the strategic planning department of the CFA, stood trial for accepting bribes. Tan Hai, former head of the referee management department of the CFA was on trial on Tuesday.

The anti-corruption efforts must follow the guiding principles from the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Zhang Xixian, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, told the Global Times.

Efforts should be focused on eradicating the conditions for corruption. Furthermore, it is necessary to strengthen comprehensive anti-corruption efforts in all sectors including political, economic and cultural fields, as well as building a scientific supervision system to combat corruption, said Zhang.

A circular posted by China's discipline inspection and supervisory authorities on July 8, highlighted the focus on preventing corruption in the sports sector, especially in soccer, and regulating overseas training and competitions, as well as strengthening supervision in key areas such as equipment procurement and construction projects.