Former president of China’s football association, Chen Xuyuan, has been sentenced to life in prison for accepting bribes totaling more than $10 million, according to state media reports on Tuesday.
This verdict follows a significant anti-corruption investigation within the sport, targeting numerous high-ranking officials since late 2022.
Chen’s actions were deemed to have inflicted “tremendous damage” on Chinese football, as stated in a court ruling reported by the official Xinhua news agency. Corruption has long plagued the sport in China, with fans attributing it to the national team’s consistent underperformance.
Chen, 67, rose from working on the docks in Shanghai during his youth to leading Shanghai International Port Co in the 2010s, eventually assuming the chairmanship of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) in 2019.
The court in central Hubei province found that Chen exploited his various positions, including those associated with the CFA, to facilitate illicit activities related to project contracting, investment operations, and sports event arrangements.
In exchange, he accepted bribes and valuable gifts amounting to over 81 million yuan ($11.22 million).
Chen’s involvement in corruption was highlighted in a state TV documentary series aired in January, where he admitted to accepting bribes.
He recounted receiving backpacks filled with cash from local football officials on the eve of his appointment as CFA chairman. Confessions of corruption have become commonplace on national television since President Xi Jinping initiated an extensive anti-corruption campaign.
“They came into my room, casually placed their backpacks on my sofa, and said, ‘congratulations, resident Chen, we hope you can take care of us more,'” he said.
“When I asked what they were offering, they responded it is just a tradition and they all do it this way.”
On Chen’s sentencing, the People’s Daily, the official paper of the ruling Communist Party, said there was no end point to the fight against corruption.
“The systemic corruption in football is by no means accidental,” the newspaper wrote. “It is imperative to trace back to the source and address the symptoms and root causes.”
State media reported on Tuesday that several other football officials were also investigated for corruption, including Chen Yongliang, former executive deputy secretary-general of the CFA, Liu Lei, a former director at the Wuhan Football Management Centre, Yu Hongchen, a former vice head of the CFA, and Dong Zheng, a former general manager of the Chinese Super League.
Chen received a 14-year prison sentence, Yu received 13 years, Dong received eight years, and Liu received 2 1/2 years.
Li Tie, former head coach of the men’s national team, and Du Zhaocai, former vice chairman of the CFA, who were similarly accused of corruption, are still awaiting their verdicts.