Top Chinese football referee Lu Jun jailed
February 16th, 2012 - 9:57 pm ICT by Aishwarya BhattBeijing, Feb 16 (THAINDIAN NEWS) A top Chinese referee has been jailed for more than five years to taking bribes. Lu Jun is seen as the face of Chinese refereeing after officiating at the World Cup.
Jun and eight other people were dragged to court after Chinese officials launched investigation into football matches in the country. During interrogation, prosecutors told the court that Jun admitted taking more than $128,000 to influence the results of about seven matches.
He named several clubs in the Chinese league as the source of the bribes. The court sentenced Jun to five-and-a-half years in jail for the offense. The other co-defendants were also given various terms in jail up to seven years.
During the investigation, it was determined that most of the matches were fixed at the local and international levels including some friendly matches.
Jun’s story is a classic tale of grace to grass. He was once referred to as the “golden whistle.” He officiated in some high profile matches including the 2002 World Cup. Some of his achievements include being the first Chinese referee at the World Cup and being named the Asian referee of the year twice.
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Tags: beijing, bribes, chinese football, chinese officials, football matches, football referee, grass, half years, high profile, interrogation, more than five years, prosecutors, refereeing, seven years, tale of grace, whistle, world cup