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March 23, 2010

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Wei meets AFC chief to seek support for probe

CHINA hopes that its efforts to combat corruption in soccer would eventually lead to better results this year.

Wei Di, chairman of the China Football Management Center, made the remark in Kuala Lumpur yesterday after meeting with AFC president Mohammed Hammam.

Wei said China was on track in weeding out corruption, adding that a report would be made public after the job was completed.

He said his visit to Malaysia was aimed at familiarizing himself with the Asian Football Confederation officials and seek their support for the sport in China.

AFC was concerned about match-fixing reports in China, Wei said. He said that AFC not only wanted to know the progress made in battling out corruption, but also the follow-up steps China will adopt.

Meanwhile, the swirl of rumor and media speculation surrounding China's ongoing match-fixing scandal forced deputy sports minister Cui Dalin to deny he had been detained in the police probe at the weekend.

Cui, who played a major role in China's triumph in topping the medals table at the Beijing Olympics and is tipped to take over as soccer supremo at the ministry, said he had merely left Beijing for his home province of Liaoning.

"I am on a business trip to Shenyang to check out youth development schemes," Cui said. "Those allegations online were just rumors."

The former head of the Chinese Football Association Nan Yong and the country's top referee are among more than 20 officials in custody awaiting trial for bribery.

Cui is not the first victim of speculation about involvement in the scandal. Women's football referee Shen Huangying was named as one of four match officials questioned by police earlier this month but said she had merely changed her mobile number and kept a low profile because of a family illness.

The new Chinese Super League season, delayed for a week because of the chaos caused by the scandal, is scheduled to kick off on Saturday.



 

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