BEIJING - The China Football Association (CFA) has joined forces with the nation's police to set up a task force aimed at tackling corruption that has tainted the game, local media reported.

The task force, which will focus on gambling and match-fixing in the top flight Chinese Super League (CSL), will be led by the CFA's Nan Yong and Wu Mingshan of the state police, according to a report in the Beijing News.

A string of corruption scandals in recent years involving referees, players and officials has left the CSL struggling with few sponsors, low attendances and indifference from the Chinese public.

Although gambling has been illegal in China since 1949, police smashed gambling rings responsible for attracting hundreds of millions of yuan in bets during the recent World Cup alone.