File photo of Yang Yimin during an interview with CCTV [sina.com]

TIELING, Liaoning Province - A former Chinese soccer chief was put on trial for bribery in a northeastern Chinese court here on Wednesday.

Yang Yimin, who used to be a deputy head of both the Chinese Football Association (CFA) and the Chinese Football Administrative Center, stood trial in the Intermediate People's Court of Tieling in Liaoning Province.

Later in the day, Lu Jun, the best-known Chinese referee who had officiated World Cup and Olympic Games, will face court in another Liaoning city, Dandong, on charges of "taking bribes as non-state staff."

Corruption hearings against some of China's top footballing officials, referees and club managers opened on Monday with Zhang Jianqiang, the former head of the CFA's referee commission, in court on charges of accepting match-fixing bribes.