Former Chinese Football Association (CFA) president, Chen Xuyuan, has been sentenced to life in prison for corruption, local media reported on Tuesday.
A court in the central Chinese province of Hubei said Chen used his posts from 2010 to 2023 to influence projects awarded.
It said Chen also received bribes worth more than 81 million yuan (11.42 million U.S. dollars).
The court ruled Chen had “severely harmed the order of fair competition” and brought “tremendous damage” to the sport, the report said.
The investigation was first announced in February 2023, and he was charged in September.
The affair is seen as another setback for Chinese football.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is an ardent football fan and wants to make his country a major player in the sport.
But the men’s team has only qualified once for the World Cup, and the football scene in the country has frequently been hit by corruption allegations in recent years.
The former Everton player and temporary national team coach, Li Tie, was also a suspect of corruption. (dpa/NAN)
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.
Leave a Reply