CHINESE media Wednesday released details of corruption charges brought against three soccer referees, including Lu Jun, generally regarded as the country’s best referee.

    Lu, Huang Junjie and Zhou Weixin were arrested last year on charges of taking bribes.

    Lu, who was dubbed the “golden whistle” for his supposed integrity during Chinese soccer’s “black whistles” scandal about eight years ago, told CCTV that he was behind the suspicious game between Shanghai Inter and Shanghai Shenhua on Nov. 9, 2003. Both teams were in a tight battle for the title with just three games left in the season.

    Lu said Zhang Jianqiang, a former China Football Association (CFA) official, asked him to call the game in Shanghai Shenhua’s favor.

    Zhang promised Lu would be paid a commission along with other referees if Shanghai Shenhua won.

    The match was broadcast on live television, which made it difficult for referees to favor one side. Lu later admitted to trying to give “emotional care” to Shenhua players by treating them less strictly.

    Lu sent off Inter’s Shen Han in the second period to help Shenhua. They ran out winners 4-1, extending their points lead and eventually won that year’s domestic league championship.

    Shenhua later delivered commissions worth 700,000 yuan (US$106,000) to Zhang’s office, Lu said.

    “Zhang and I each received 350,000 yuan,” he said.

    Zhang was arrested for alleged match-fixing and bribery in March 2010.

    Lu officiated in more than 200 matches in the domestic league during his career and was the first Chinese to referee at a World Cup.

    “Our investigation found it was a common practice for soccer clubs to bribe referees,” Cui Weidong, an official in charge of the case, told Xinhua.

    Zhou, 45, whose ability was constantly questioned during his officiating career, revealed a shameful deal behind the infamous match between Beijing Guoan and Shenyang Jinde on Oct. 2, 2004, after which Beijing threatened to withdraw from the league if the crooked refs were not purged.

    Zhou claimed he had taken some 200,000 yuan from relegation-battler Shenyang, which saw the game against Beijing as “crucial.”

    “Shenyang team leader Liu Hong called me before the game,” Zhou told CCTV. “I told him I would try my best and Liu assured me that I would get the money even if I was suspended by the disciplinary committee.”

    “I sent off a Beijing defender in the first half but gave them a penalty to let them equalize midway through the second,” Zhou revealed. “I then handed Shenyang another spot kick 10 minutes before time for them to win.”

    Although six years have passed, the memory remains fresh for Beijing.

    “We’ve been waiting for the iron hand of justice for years,” a club spokesman posted on their official microblog. “We’ll continue to fight the darker side of our league to the end.”

    “I feel extremely guilty for my family and the fans,” said Huang Junjie, 43, who officiated at several internationals, including World Cup qualifiers involving Japan and Saudi Arabia, as he wept on camera.

    “However, I didn’t let those officials down,” he said cryptically.

    China has been cracking down on match-fixing and gambling since November 2009, when a new initiative was introduced to curb illegal activities.

    Nan Yong and Yang Yimin, both former vice chairmen of the CFA, were arrested for alleged match-fixing and bribery last March. Xie Yalong, another former vice president of the CFA, was arrested for bribery last October.

    Soccer insiders have stated that an anti-corruption supervision mechanism should be put in place to guard against match-fixing and gambling.

    (SD-Xinhua)