On August 28, former member of the Communist Party Committee and deputy director of the State General Administration of Sports, as well as former Party Secretary and vice chairman of the Chinese Football Association, Du Zhaocai stood trial for bribery.
According to the charges, from 2012 to 2022, Du Zhaocai used his positions as Party Secretary and Director of the Athletics Management Center of the State General Administration of Sports, member of the Party Committee, Assistant Director, Deputy Director of the Administration, Party Secretary, and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Football Association to provide assistance in event organization, personnel arrangements, player transfers, and other aspects for relevant units and individuals. He directly or through his relatives illegally accepted more than 43.41 million yuan.
Du Zhaocai was investigated on April 1 last year and was subsequently relieved of his position as deputy director of the State General Administration of Sports on April 8. Chinese media reported that before being investigated, Du had already sensed the impending trouble, which caused immense psychological pressure, leaving him restless day and night.
On October 7 last year, Du Zhaocai was expelled from the Party and removed from office. At that time, the announcement stated that Du seriously disrupted the political ecology in the field of football, resisted investigation, engaged in superstitious activities, failed to truthfully clarify issues, engaged in power and money transactions, used his position for personal gain, and illegally accepted large amounts of money.
At the age of 64, Du Zhaocai served as Assistant Director of the State General Administration of Sports, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, and Party Secretary of the Chinese Football Association starting in June 2017. In October 2018, he was promoted to Deputy Director and member of the Party Committee of the State General Administration of Sports, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, and remained the Party Secretary of the Chinese Football Association. From 2019 to 2023, he held positions in various international organizations, including being a council member of the FIFA Council, chairman of the AFC Referees Committee, and president of the EAFF, until his downfall.
Since former Chinese national football player Li Tie was arrested in 2022, the Chinese sports system has been in turmoil, with at least twenty plus individuals related to the Chinese Football Association and players being taken away for investigation.
Reportedly, during his involvement in Chinese football, Du Zhaocai exacerbated various issues within Chinese soccer, such as implementing measures to collect “transfer adjustment fees” and collecting billions of yuan over the years.