Chinese FA ´appoints new head´

Long-time administrator Nan Yong has been named head of the beleaguered Chinese Football Association and will be tasked with turning around the nation’s soccer fortunes, officials said.

Nan was named acting chief of the CFA in September last year, but was formally appointed as its head this month, the association said in a statement posted on its website Monday.

Nan, 46, served as a CFA vice-director over the last 10 years.

“After joining the Chinese Football Association, Nan Yong has all along been held in good esteem,” the association statement said.

“During his 10 years at the association, Nan Yong has been seen as a top-level leader by CFA employees and by players.”

He replaces Xie Yalong, who headed the CFA during the national youth team’s abysmal showing at the Beijing Olympic Games and China’s failure to survive early qualifying rounds for World Cup 2010.

Few Chinese sports officials have wanted to take the CFA hot seat because it is regarded as something of a poisoned chalice, state press reports have said.

When he stepped into the job in 2005, Xie inherited a professional league that was suffering huge problems with corruption and match fixing.

Those issues do not appear to be so much of a concern now but the domestic league is still plagued with controversies, while few spectators turn up at games.

And the national team has sunk to 104 in the world rankings.