Police detain at least 4 in match-fixing crackdown
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Chinese police have detained at least four people on suspicion of match-fixing and gambling in a nationwide crackdown on soccer corruption.
The Ministry of Public Security told Xinhua on Wednesday in the capital city of Liaoning province that they had detained a number of former players, soccer officials and club officials, including Wang Xin, Wang Po, Ding Zhe and Yang Xu, on suspicion of "manipulating domestic soccer matches through commercial bribery."
Some of them were also suspected of gambling through foreign websites, said the Ministry, which heads up the unprecedented large-scale investigation.
Police said Interpol-wanted former Liaoning Guangyuan team leader Wang Xin, together with former Shanxi club general manager Wang Po, swayed several First Division league matches since 2006.
The First Division is the second tier league in China.
Also dragged in the match-fixing scandal was current Chinese Super League team Guangzhou Pharmaceutical FC, promoted from the First Division in 2007 to the top flight.
The Ministry did not reveal how many people had been questioned in the probe or whether active players or big names were involved but said the investigation was still going on.
Following are factfiles of some of the detainees:
Wang Xin: former Shenyang player, general manager of Singaporean club Liaoning Guangyuan in 2007, fled Singapore in 2008 for match-fixing in the Singaporean league, wanted by the Interpol in 2009.
Wang Po: general manager in Shaanxi Guoli in 2003, moved the relegated Guoli club to Ningbo, Zhejiang, in 2004 and to Harbin, Heilongjiang, in 2005 before the club was disqualified from the second tier league for failing to pay up players' wage, became general manager of Tibet Huitong club in late 2005, moved the club to Taiyuan, Shanxi, and changed the club's name to Shanxi Wellsend in 2006.
Ding Zhe: former Shenyang player, head coach of Singaporean club Sinchi in 2005, assistant coach of Shanxi in 2006, head coach of Liaoning Guangyuan in 2007.
Yang Xu: former vice president of Guangzhou Football Association, deputy general manager of current CSL club Guangzhou Pharmaceutical FC in 2006.
