Chinese football gets new top man, with Zhang Jiasheng raised to party chief status
- Although there has been no official announcement, website shows Zhang is now Secretary of the Party Committee of the Chinese Football Association
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has elevated Zhang Jiasheng to the role of party chief, a little more than a month after he was unveiled as party secretary at the governing body.
Although the CFA is yet to make an official announcement unveiling Zhang, the association’s website has been updated to show him sitting at the top of the pack with his new title, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Chinese Football Association.
Song Kai, who was elected in October last year, remains as the current chairman and deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the CFA.
The leadership team will be tasked with cleaning up football in China, which has been embroiled in a number of scandals in recent years.
In January, the Communist Party’s top corruption investigation said Chinese football was being held back by criminal behaviour, revealing details of match-fixing and bribery in a documentary aired on state television.
Former Everton and Premier League footballer Li Tie, who confessed to match fixing in the documentary, could face jail time if he is found guilty of bribery.
Last month Chinese state media dispelled rumours that Tie had already been sentenced to life in prison, saying his trail had not yet started.
Zhang, 55, held various government positions before moving into Chinese football as party secretary on February 8, including deputy director of the General Administration of Sport of China.
In January 2023, he was vice governor of the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government.
