(Yicai Global) Feb. 15 -- Chen Xuyuan, president of the Chinese Football Association, is being investigated by China’s anti-corruption watchdog on suspicion of discipline violations and breaking the law as a crackdown on graft in Chinese soccer expands.

No other details about the probe into Chen were disclosed in a notice published late yesterday on the website of the Hubei Discipline Inspection Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Born in 1956, Chen was elected president of the CFA in August 2019. Before that, he was the president of Shanghai International Port Group. During his time at China’s largest port operator, the firm acquired a Chinese Super League soccer team, Shanghai East Asia Football Club, later renamed as Shanghai Port FC.

Shanghai Port FC spared no funds to sign several global soccer stars, such as Brazilian international Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior, which helped them to win the CSL for the first time in 2018.

The crackdown on graft in Chinese soccer began with Li Tie, former head coach of the men's national soccer team, who was put under investigation last November on suspicion of breaking the law. Other soccer officials being probed include Liu Yi, the CFA's former secretary-general, and Chen Yongliang, executive deputy secretary-general and head of the national team’s management department, according to the Hubei Discipline Inspection Committee.

Meng Jing, director and co-president of Hebei-based China Fortune Land Development, was also detained by the provincial anti-graft body also on suspicion of breaking the law, the property developer said yesterday.

Between 2015 and 2016, Li served as head coach of China Fortune's soccer club Hebei China Fortune, later renamed to Hebei FC.

Editor: Martin Kadiev