China start football corruption trials

The former head referee of China’s football Super League went on trial on Monday on charges of bribe-taking, kicking off a series of corruption hearings involving top officials.A handcuffed Zhang Jianqiang appeared in court in the eastern city of Dandong charged with accepting match-fixing bribes totalling 2.6 million yuan ($409,600), state television showed.He is the first senior official to go on trial after a crackdown on corruption that reached the top echelons of the game, and led to the downfall of the head of the Chinese Football Association (CFA).More than 20 former officials and referees including former CFA vice head Yang Yimin and Lu Jun, a Chinese referee who officiated at 2002 World Cup, will go on trial this week.