Xu Hongtao has been arrested in China over allegations of match fixing in a game in 2007 against rivals Qingdao.
Xu and his assistant have supposedly paid the Qingdao manager around £45,000, and invoiced the same amount for a day’s rental of the Chengdu training ground.
Qingdao fielded a second string team for the game, and eventually lost 2-0, and all parties involved are set to receive heavy punishments after the government recently called for the league, which is rife with corruption to be cleaned up.
A police spokesman dealing with the case said: ‘You, Xu and Liu, who manipulated the match result using commercial bribery, have violated the criminal law’.
It’s isn’t thought that this will have any direct effects to Sheffield United, but it’s publicity that the club, who are now back in the top flight will not have welcomed.
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