A Chinese court has jailed four referees and an official for their roles in a corruption scandal that brought the country's football league to its knees.
The four defendants, including Lu Jun, who officiated at both the 2000 Olympic Games and the 2002 World Cup, have been found guilty of match-fixing domestic league games.
Lu, once dubbed "golden whistle", was sentenced to five and a half years in jail and confiscated property valued at around $US16,000.
Former referees Huang Junjie, Wan Daxue and Zhou Weixin were jailed for seven years, six years and three and a half years respectively.
The scandal brought down top Chinese Football Association (CFA) heads Nan Yong and his successor Xie Yalong.
The court also sentenced the former head of the China Superleague's commercial arm Lu Feng to six years and a half years in prison. The cases of Nan and Xie have yet to go to trial.
Another 24 league officials are yet to be sentenced in relation to corruption.
According to state media, CFA officials routinely fixed matches, including national team and league games, by allegedly buying off the teams and referees involved.
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