Former Chinese Football Association head sentenced to life in prison for corruption

China on Tuesday sentenced the former president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) between 2019 and 2023, Chen Xuyuan, to life imprisonment for bribery.

Chen, who was also deputy secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the CFA, was found guilty of accepting more than 81 million yuan ($11.2 million) in bribes over 13 years, according to the court’s verdict. The sentence, issued early Tuesday by the Huangshi Intermediate People’s Court in Hubei province, stripped Chen of his political rights and ordered the confiscation of all his personal assets. The court also said that all of the money obtained illegally by Chen had been recovered. According to the investigation, Chen took advantage of his positions to seek benefits for third parties in exchange for bribes.

These practices occurred between 2010 and 2023, when he also served as president of the Shanghai International Port Group, owner of the current Chinese Super League champions, Shanghai Port. The court said that Chen collaborated with the authorities and confessed to his crimes, which was considered a mitigating factor when sentencing.

In recent years, Chinese authorities have arrested or launched investigations against the chairman of the Chinese Super League, the deputy director of the General Administration of Sports and even against Li Tie, a former national team coach and former Chinese soccer star who once played for the English club Everton. Li, who was investigated at the end of 2022, was accused of corruption, including bribery. In October, the CFA appointed a new president, Song Kai, who promised an open and transparent investigation against officials involved in corruption. After coming to power in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched an anti-corruption drive in which several senior Chinese officials were convicted of accepting million-dollar bribes. EFE gbm/pd