Aformer president of the Chinese Football Association, Chen Xuyuan, has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of bribery while three other top officials received sentences ranging from eight to 14 years.
According to the country’s state media, Mr Chen’s financial misappropriation activities occurred between 2010 to 2023 – he was reported to have taken bribes totalling 81 million yuan ($11.2m; £8.9m), an allegation he pleaded guilty to.
Chinese prosecutors said Mr Chen accepted financial incentives, valuable items from people in exchange for project contracts and arranging sporting events which also included his time as the president and chairman of Shanghai International Port Group.
During reading of the verdict in the trial that took place at the Intermediate People’s Court of Huangshi in central China, the court said Mr Chen brought “tremendous “damage” to China’s football cause, state-controlled Xinhua news agency reported.
The news agency also reported that three other top Chinese football officials were sentenced to prison terms between eight and 14 years in prison for corruption on Tuesday.
The ongoing clampdown on corruption in China is part of President Xi Jinping’s efforts to turn the country into a major football powerhouse with the hope of hosting and winning the FIFA World Cup in the near future.
Earlier this year, one of Mr Chen’s corruption beneficiaries and former head coach of China’s national men’s football team, Li Tie, was sentenced to life imprisonment having confessed that he offered bribes to get the coaching job.
The former Everton player admitted to offering bribes to fix matches during his coaching career. More than a dozen other football coaches and players have been investigated in the ongoing corruption clampdown.
