BEIJING – A new top leadership for China’s Football Association (CFA) was announced on Monday, state media reported, following a corruption probe that has implicated some of the country’s biggest names in the sport.
Song Kai, formerly of Liaoning province’s sports bureau, will be the new CFA president, a short article in the People’s Daily newspaper said.
“We will try our best to build a more united, more hardworking, more open, more transparent and more courageous CFA in the future,” he noted. 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 sport 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 claim helps him purge political rivals.
He has described himself as a football fan and said he dreams of China hosting and winning a men’s 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.
China will see football’s biggest star on its shores soon after it was announced that Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will play two games in the Asian nation in November as the club look to cash in on the signing of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Miami missed out in a place in the Major League Soccer play-offs and will conclude the regular-season campaign against Charlotte on Saturday.
That leaves November free of games for the club but some players, like Messi, will be looking to keep in shape ahead of World Cup qualifiers and national team games in late November.
The American team will play two Chinese Super League sides in friendly matches, first facing Qingdao Hainiu on Nov 5 before playing against Chengdu Rongcheng three days later.
“We’re very excited to continue to expand our club’s global reach, bringing our team to play in front of incredible fans across the globe,” said Inter Miami chief business officer Xavier Asensi.
“This is a special opportunity to share the passion as we reach new audiences and put ourselves on display in new places and we’re looking forward to beginning this adventure.”
Messi’s arrival at Miami in July saw the club massively increase their social media followers globally while, on the field, the team won their first trophy with a Leagues Cup triumph in August.
But the busy schedule caught up with Miami and, with Messi missing several games, the team’s play-off push faltered. AFP, XINHUA
