Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Chinese authorities have put top football officials, referees and players on trial for bribery. Currently, the latter are on trial in Dandong, Shenyang and Tieling after match-fixing scams came to light in September 2010. However, one of the accused, former vice-chairman of the Chinese Football Association Xie Yalong, claims he was tortured in prison and wants a review of the charges against him.
Xie's lawyer, Jin Xiaoguang, told reporters that his client was subjected to various forms of torture-including electric shocks, slaps to the face and sleep deprivation-since he was taken into custody in September 2010. This forced him to sign a confession to be left alone.
"Xie said he had confessed simply because he wanted to stay alive until the day he could feel safe in front of a [television] camera to tell the truth," the lawyer said.
Still, everything indicates that Chinese football is rife with corruption. Some fifty 50 sports officials, club owners and referees have been arrested in the crackdown. They include Yang Yimin, former president of the Chinese Football Association who was sentenced to 101 and half years in prison for accepting millions in yuan to fix matches.
Four former players from the mainland's national football team also went on trial for throwing some matches.
Two, of them, Qi Hong and Jiang Jin, helped China qualify for the 2002 World Cup. Now they could get 15 years in prison.
