Former soccer chief challenges bribery charges

The crackdown on gambling and match fixing in Chinese soccer reached a climax on Tuesday as the first of two trials of former heads of the game opened.

Xie Yalong appeared before Dandong Intermediate People's Court in Northeast China's Liaoning province, with his successor, Nan Yong, due to face a court in Tieling, also in Liaoning, on Wednesday.

However, while the first-round trials of officials and referees in February went uncontested, Xie, head of the Chinese Football Association from 2005-08, has denied some of the charges against him.