Du Zhaocai is the highest-ranking official in football, and only two vice-chairmen of the Football Association remain in operation.

On March 23, 2023, Du Zhaocai attended the annual work conference of key cities of national football development.

According to the website of the State Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on April 1, Du Zhaocai, a member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the State Sports General Administration, is suspected of serious violation of the law and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervision investigation by the State Commission for Discipline Inspection. Du Zhaocai is currently the party secretary and vice-chairman of China Football Association, and he is also the highest-ranking official in the anti-corruption storm in football.

Du zhaocai.

Nine people were dismissed, and Du Zhaocai was the highest-ranking official.

According to public information, in the past 141 days, nine related persons of China Football Association have been investigated. As early as November 26, 2022, former China men’s football coach Li Tie was suspected of violating the law; With the final of the FA Cup, the last event of China football in the 2022 season, ending in mid-January 2023, the anti-corruption storm once again set off a climax.

On January 19, 2023, Liu Yi, former secretary general of China Football Association, accepted the supervision and investigation, and Chen Yongliang, executive deputy secretary general of China Football Association and Minister of State Administration, accepted the review and investigation; On February 14th, China Football Association President Chen Xiaoyuan was investigated.

At the "Ministerial Channel" of the National People’s Congress this year, Gao Zhidan, director of the State Sports General Administration, said in response to questions related to the "three big balls" that, realistically speaking, for a long time, the development of the three big balls in China, especially the men’s events, was not satisfactory, the level of men’s football dropped all the way, and there were many chaos in the football industry, which formed a strong contrast with the requirements and expectations of the CPC Central Committee and the people of the whole country.

Gao Zhidan said, we should focus on the outstanding problems in the current "Three Balls" work, such as lack of spirit, lack of righteousness, and weak style of work, and persist in changing our style of work, strengthening our responsibility, and grasping implementation. Resolutely crack down and severely punish corruption and fake gambling in football and other fields, correct the wind and discipline, be strict in discipline, improve the system, strengthen the rules, and comprehensively repair and reconstruct the good ecology of the healthy and sustainable development of the’ three big balls’.

On March 27th, The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) of the CPC and Li Xi, leader of the Central Inspection Work Leading Group, attended the National Inspection Work Conference and the first round of the 20th Central Inspection Mobilization Deployment Meeting and delivered speeches. Li Xi stressed that to carry out the mobile patrol of the State Sports General Administration, we should focus on fulfilling the party’s leadership functions and responsibilities, implementing the major decision-making arrangements for building a sports power, and thoroughly find out and promote the solution of corruption and deep-seated institutional mechanisms in the sports field, especially in the football field, so as to provide a strong guarantee for building a sports power.

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After the two sessions, football anti-corruption refreshed the official level record.

On March 24th, Wang Xiaoping, director of the Commission for Discipline Inspection of China Football Association, and Huang Song, minister of competition department, were suspected of serious violation of discipline and law, and were investigated. On March 29th, Yu Hongchen, former vice chairman of China Football Association, was investigated, and Dong Zheng, former general manager of Super League Company, was investigated. It is worth mentioning that, as the chairman of the current IAAF, Yu Hongchen was a bureau-level cadre, and at that time he was already the first bureau-level cadre to fall in the anti-corruption storm in football. ?

Du Zhaocai, as the deputy director of the General Administration, is a deputy ministerial-level cadre, which has set a new record for football anti-corruption officials. In fact, the anti-corruption storm in football started at the end of 2009, and the highest-level officials such as Xie Yalong and Nan Yong were also limited to the bureau level. This time, the deputy ministerial-level cadres were dismissed, and their ranks were also the highest among the officials who were dismissed in previous football anti-corruption storms.

According to public information, Du Zhaocai, 63, who is currently the deputy director of the State Sports General Administration and the party secretary and vice chairman of the China Football Association, once served as a director of the FIFA Council, chairman of the AFC Referee Committee, executive chairman of the China Organizing Committee of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and chairman of the East Asian Football Association.

Du Zhaocai’s personal work experience began to intersect with football in 2017-from June 2017, Du Zhaocai was appointed as the assistant director of the State Sports General Administration and the party secretary of the China Football Association by the director of the Tianguan Center; In October 2018, he was promoted to deputy director of the General Administration, responsible for football-related work; In 2019, he served as vice chairman of China Football Association and director of FIFA Council. In April last year, Du Zhaocai was elected as the new president of the East Asian Football Association (from 2022 to 2026). At the beginning of this year, Du Zhaocai failed to run for FIFA director, and he ranked last among the seven candidates.

According to official website, the State Sports General Administration, Du Zhaocai is responsible for football-related work, docking the inter-ministerial joint meeting of FIFA, AFC and the State Council football reform and development, and is responsible for the training and participation of national football teams at all levels, as well as the bidding and preparation of various events held in China, as well as youth football and mass football; Be responsible for the training and competition of track and field, swimming, synchronized swimming, diving and other summer events, and the preparation of various events held in China; And other work assigned by the main responsible comrades. Instruct the Football Association and contact the Football Development Foundation; In charge of track and field center and swimming center, guiding the work of track and field association.

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He has repeatedly denounced football corruption in public.

According to the Nanfang Daily, Du Zhaocai has repeatedly denounced football corruption in public-at the National Conference on Competition Discipline and Anti-Doping Work in the Football Industry held in August 2022, Du Zhaocai emphasized that the competition discipline and anti-doping problems, especially the problem of "fake gambling on the black", are the concentrated expression of unhealthy trends in the football industry and a cancer that affects the healthy development of the football industry.

"The vast number of football practitioners should fully understand the special significance of competition discipline and anti-doping work to football work, thoroughly investigate and analyze the problems, take resolute and effective measures to promote competition discipline and anti-doping work, crack down on the rising trend of’ fake gambling on black’ in football field with zero tolerance, create a clean and healthy football style, and promote the healthy development of football in China." Du Zhaocai said.

Just about half a month ago, the Chinese Football Association held a meeting of all cadres. At the meeting, Du Zhaocai said that in the face of the outstanding problems in the current football industry, we must have the courage to face the problems directly.

"Deeply learn from the lessons of a series of recent corruption cases, learn from mistakes, learn from cases, promote reform by cases, find out the reasons, plug loopholes, improve systems and mechanisms, be brave in taking responsibility and fighting, manage and solve ideological problems such as bad tendencies and negative slack in the association, strengthen confidence, make full efforts, change style, break through difficulties, get back on its feet, and strive to open up a new football in China.

According to the official website of the Football Association, on March 23rd, the annual work conference of key cities for national football development was held in the National Football Training Base (Xianghe). Du Zhaocai attended the meeting and delivered a speech.

After Du Zhaocai’s fall, only two vice-chairmen of the Football Association remained in operation.

There are only two vice presidents left in the Football Association to keep running.

According to Beijing Youth Daily, Du Zhaocai’s last public appearance in China Football Association was on the afternoon of March 24th. On the morning of the same day, the news that Huang Song, director of the Competition Department of China Football Association, and Wang Xiaoping, director of the Disciplinary Committee of the Association, were taken away for investigation on suspicion of violating discipline and law was confirmed by official channels.

On the afternoon of the same day, the China Football Association made a briefing on the situation of these two people internally, and at the same time took this opportunity to give a warning education to all middle-level cadres of the Football Association again. The form was the same as that of the anti-corruption warning meeting held after the original China Football Association President Chen Yuyuan, former Secretary-General Liu Yi and Executive Deputy Secretary-General Chen Yongliang were taken away for investigation.

It is worth noting that Du Zhaocai never appeared in the office of the Football Association after attending the anti-corruption warning meeting of the Football Association and speaking at the meeting. This week, Gao Zhidan, director of the General Administration of Sports, and his party went to Liaoning for investigation, and Du Zhaocai was not among them.

After Chen Xiaoyuan and Liu Yi were investigated, the daily work of the Football Association was always presided over by Du Zhaocai. Now, under the investigation of Du Zhaocai, there are only two vice-chairmen in charge of specific business, Gao Hongbo and Sun Wen, secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission Yan Zhanhe and deputy secretary-general David He, in China Football Association.

Who will be responsible for the daily work next remains to be determined. Therefore, the outside world is also worried that whether the new season Super League can start on April 15th as scheduled will be marked with a big question mark.