Former soccer chief receives sentence reduction

The former China soccer chief has received a one-year reduction in his prison sentence for good behavior, a positive attitude and repenting his faults, a Beijing court announced on Tuesday.

Nan Yong, the former director of the General Administration of Sport's soccer administrative center and former vice-chairman of Chinese Football Association, attended a sentence-reduction hearing at Yancheng Prison, Hebei province, where he is currently imprisoned.

Nan had been sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison in June 2012 for accepting bribes worth more than 1.19 million yuan ($191,947) for fixing matches and illegally using his power to benefit others. Nan was also fined 200,000 yuan.

Citing Nan's positive performances in jail, the Yancheng Prison administration suggested to the Beijing No 2 Intermediate People's Court for a reduction on Nan's prison term on Nov 13. The court approved the reduction request on Tuesday after receiving no complaints from a public review in November, announcing that it will cut short Nan's term by one year.

After the term reduction, Nan will be released from prison on July, 2019.

Nan was among eight soccer officials and players, including his predecessor Xie Yalong, who were sentenced to jail in 2012 for their involvement in match-fixing and gambling scandals exposed in 2010.

Led by the public security department, the three-year crackdown against soccer corruption and scandals saw 59 officials, players, referees and club owners put behind bars from 2010 to 2012.

Lu Jun, once regarded as the China's most renowned referee and the only Chinese to officiate at the 2002 World Cup, was sentenced to five years and six months for accepting 810,000 yuan in bribes from 1999 to 2003.

Lu also received a one-year reduction to his prison term and was released on Sept 2.