Zhang Jianqiang (pictured), ex-director of the Chinese Football Association (CFA)'s referee committee, appeared in a court in the north-eastern city of Tieling on Monday, nine months after being arrested for match-fixing and bribery, Xinhua news agency said. Proceedings were closed to the public
Zhang faces two charges of "bribe-taking and bribery by non-public servants," the agency said.
The trials follow a two-year investigation into alleged match-fixing that spanned a period of years. Among those accused in the scandal were the former heads of China's soccer program, Nan Yong and Xie Yalong, who will face trial in the following days.
"Football corruption breached the country's law and tarnished the image of the sport as well as the healthy development of football in China, leading to a very bad impact on the game," the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said in a statement.
"Corruption exposed flaws in the administrative system and imperfections in the supervision mechanism."
Several top referees including Lu Jun, a 2002 World Cup match official, would also face trial this week in Dandong, another city in China's north-east.
