Former FIFA Council member investigated for ‘serious violations’ of law

Chinese official Du Zhaocai, the deputy director of the General Administration of Sport, has been placed under investigation for suspected serious violations of the law, the country’s CCDI said on Saturday.

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Chinese official Du Zhaocai, the deputy director of the General Administration of Sport, has been placed under investigation for suspected serious violations of the law, the country’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said on Saturday.

The 63-year-old Du, who is also the vice-president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), was a council member of football’s world governing body, FIFA, from 2019-2023.

An official statement said Du was suspected of “serious violations of discipline and law”. It did not provide further details about the investigation or the suspected violations.

The General Administration of Sport did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Last week, two top CFA officials - disciplinary committee director Wang Xiaoping and competition department head Huang Song - were both placed under investigation for suspected serious violations of the law.

The probe followed a recent anti-corruption investigation of Chinese soccer.

Former national team coach and ex-Everton midfielder Li Tie, CFA chairman Chen Xuyuan and two former CFA officials were also placed under investigation earlier this year.