Chinese football referee
Gong Jianping (Chinese: 龚建平; pinyin: Gōng Jiànpíng; Mandarin pronunciation: [kʊ́ŋ tɕjɛ̂n pʰǐŋ]; July 12, 1960 - July 11, 2004) was a FIFA-ranked international football referee from Beijing, China.[1] As a chief referee for the Chinese Football Association, he was the only referee charged for corruption in the 2001 match fixing scandals in Chinese Football.[2]
Gong Became a referee in 1982. In 2001, he became a FIFA-ranked international football referee and a regular referee for China's Chinese Jia-A League and Jia B League.
In 2001, after the 2001 China Jia B League Match Fixing, two clubs, Guangzhou Geely and Zhejiang Greentown, notified authorities about the corruptions in the football circles.[3] The football association called referees to turn in themselves, and Gong was the only one to confess. He became what many sport insider call "scapegoat" for the power forces behind scenes.[4]
Gong was convicted by the Xuanwu District Court for talking a total of 370,000 yuan (44,700 US dollars) between 2000 and 2001, and was sentenced for 10 years of imprisonment.[5] Gong served 18 months before dying of leukemia.[6]
References
- ^ The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime by Declan Hill, McClelland & Stewart; Reprint edition (April 13, 2010), p15
- ^ Police Detain At Least 4 in Match-fixing Crackdown, by Xu Fei, Xinhua via China Radio International, Nov 25 2009, http://english.cri.cn/6909/2009/11/25/195s531713_1.htm Archived 2013-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Beijing Review By China International Publishing Group, Issues 35-52 - Page 251
- ^ Police holding three top soccer officials By Kang Juan, Global Times via National Bureau of Corruption Prevention of China, Jan 22 2010 http://www.nbcp.gov.cn/article/English/Updates/201001/20100100005587.shtml Archived 2013-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Referee Gong's Conviction Hits Headlines in China, People's Daily, Jan 30 2003, http://english.people.com.cn/200301/30/eng20030130_110987.shtml
- ^ Soccer player kicks game into touch
By Qiu Bo, China Daily, Nov 3 2010
