Ex-soccer chief reinvents himself in prison

Rather than living a miserable life behind bars like some fellow inmates have done, China's former soccer chief, Nan Yong, has rejuvenated himself as an inventor and writer during his prison term, Chinese media reported on Tuesday.

Nan, who was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison in June 2012 after a nationwide crackdown on match-fixing and corruption in soccer, has invented four devices with patents granted by the State Intellectual Property Office, according to Web portal qq.com. He has also published a novel while serving his sentence, it said.

SIPO's online database shows four patents approved under Nan's name by Tuesday, including two devices related to soccer training - a device for shooting training and a portable goal gate.