BEIJING (AP) - Investigators are questioning three leading Chinese Football Association officials as part of a wide-ranging probe into match fixing allegations, state media reported Thursday.

The move is the latest in a push to rid the Chinese game of the taint of cheating and raise the overall level of play following complaints from top communist leaders.

Last month saw the arrest of 16 team officials and others suspected of bribing or threatening players and referees to determine the outcome of games they had bet on.

Investigators in the northeastern province of Liaoning were questioning Nan Yong and Yang Yimin, both vice chairmen of the association, along with the former director of its referee committee association, Zhang Jianqiang, the Xinhua News Agency said.

"With the full support from the sports department, the crackdown on manipulating domestic soccer matches through commercial bribery has showcased a firm attitude in fighting corruption and rectifying the soccer sector," Xinhua said, quoting a statement from the national police.

It did not say if they were suspects, although local newspapers reported that the three had been missing from their offices for many days, with colleagues unaware of their whereabouts.

Football is very popular in China but the national men’s team is currently ranked No. 97 in the world, sandwiched between Albania and Cuba, and the weakness of the domestic league has been identified as a key factor.

Despite that, the top-tier 16-team China Super League is in better shape financially than it has been in years, with attendance hitting a record average of 16,300 a game last season. Big name brands Nike and Pirelli have made a combined annual commitment of 150 million yuan ($22 million) to sponsor the competition.