Two senior CFA officials under investigation

Two senior officials of the Chinese Football Association are under investigation, said China's top anti-graft watchdog.

Chen Yongliang, executive deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Football Association, and Liu Yi, CFA's former secretary-general, are both under investigation for a suspected severe violation of the law, according to an official statement on Thursday.

The two officials are being investigated by a disciplinary inspection and supervision team stationed at the General Administration of Sport of China, which was sent by the Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision. The Hubei provincial commission of supervision is also involved.

Former head coach of the Chinese men's soccer team Li Tie was initially put under investigation by the national disciplinary inspection team and the Hubei supervision commission for suspected serious violations of discipline and the law in November.

It was during Li's tenure that the men's national team failed to qualify for the recent World Cup in Qatar, despite the association's considerable budget for foreign-born player naturalization.