The referee who refused to be bought

Editor's Note: Soccer is the world's No 1 sport, and China has its own aims for the game. President Xi Jinping has spoken about his soccer dream: China reaching the World Cup, China hosting the Cup and, ultimately, China winning the coveted trophy. However, the nation still lags far behind in the soccer world. The 2014 Brazil World Cup is just around the corner and we have selected 11 key figures from around the country to tell us about their soccer dreams. The interviews will be on RTHK Putonghua Channel at 4 pm on Sundays through June 8.

China's professional soccer is haunted by a past rife with corruption, and the greatest specter of all is hei shao - loosely translated as "black whistlers" - which fans frequently chant during games.

In 2009, when an anti-corruption campaign consumed the country's No 1 sport, many "golden whistle" winning referees were exposed as cheats while several top soccer officials, who had vowed to fight corruption at all levels, were proved to be running the charade.