BEIJING, April 11 (UPI) -- The Chinese government has announced a crackdown on corruption in professional soccer.
The BBC reports that scandals have become so common that Chinese soccer fans prefer to follow teams from other countries, leading to small audiences for local teams. Several teams have been disbanded recently because of economic problems.
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The worst corruption involving referees and players is reportedly in the Super League, the top tier of Chinese soccer teams.
The government plans to curb betting rings and on-line gambling and to increase penalties for match-fixing.
