China orders arrest of senior football official

SHANGHAI, China : China’s top public prosecutor said on Tuesday it has ordered the arrest of former vice chairman of the Chinese Football Association Du Zhaocai.

Former deputy sports minister Du "was suspected of accepting bribes" and his case had been transferred for "examination and prosecution," it said on its official website.

"The Supreme People's Procuratorate made an arrest decision on Du Zhaocai for suspected bribery according to law."

China's FA did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Du is also a former vice president of the Asian Football Confederation, the Chinese Olympic Committee, and a former FIFA Council member.

Du's case is the latest in a recent spike in anti-corruption probes into senior Chinese football officials.

Over a dozen officials working in the football sector have been placed under investigation since November last year, state media reported this week.

China's men's team are ranked 80th in the world and have only qualified for one World Cup in 2002 when they lost all three matches in the group stage.