NEW leadership for the China Football Association (CFA) was announced today, state media reported, following a corruption probe that swept up some of the country’s biggest names in the sport.

Song Kai, formerly of Liaoning province’s sports bureau, has been named CFA president, a short article in the People’s Daily newspaper said.

The CFA also elected a new executive committee at the same meeting in Beijing.

Song’s predecessor, Chen Xuyuan, was formally charged with accepting bribes in September.

A probe into Chen was announced in February by the government’s sports agency, which accused him at the time of “serious violations of discipline and the law”.

Former national team coach Li Tie was charged with corruption in August.

Fighting graft has long been a central theme of President Xi Jinping’s rule, with the Chinese leader waging a sweeping campaign since taking office that critics claimed was helping him purge political rivals.

Xi described himself as a football fan and said he dreams of China hosting and winning a World Cup one day.

But after a boom period when clubs in China’s top domestic league signed foreign stars for exorbitant fees, many teams hit hard times, with several – including former champions Jiangsu FC – going bust. – AFP, October 16, 2023.