Docuseries tackles corruption in soccer

The final episode of an anti-corruption documentary series, which aired on China Central Television on Tuesday, garnered widespread interest as it bared the dark underbelly of Chinese soccer, exposing rampant abuse of power and instances of match-fixing and bribery involving several senior soccer officials.

The episode started with details of the investigation launched in November 2022 against Li Tie, former head coach of the Chinese men's national team. The probe turned out to be the tip of the iceberg and exposed systemic corruption in Chinese soccer, the episode showed.

More than a dozen high-ranking and mid-level officials of the Chinese Football Association came under scrutiny following the investigation against Li. Another dozen individuals, including coaches, players, referees, club executives and agents, were also investigated.