Following one of the biggest anti-corruption investigations in the history of the sport, Chen Xuyuan, the former head of China’s national football association, was found guilty of receiving bribes and was sentenced to life in prison, according to a report released by state media on Tuesday.
Chen, 67, received a heavy sentence that ended an investigation into high-level football officials in China. The sport has long struggled with corruption, which fans have held responsible for the national team’s poor performance.
In the final episode of a four-part documentary series on corruption that broadcast on national TV in January, Chen stated that the night before he became the chairman of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) in 2019, he got backpacks containing 300,000 yuan ($41,600) from two local football officials who wanted him to “take care of them”.
A court in central Hubei province said Chen used his many posts from 2010 to 2023, including those related to the CFA, to assist others with project contracts, investment activities, and sporting event arrangements, according to the official Xinhua news agency on Tuesday.
The court determined that Chen took money and valuables worth more than 81 million yuan ($11.2 million).
According to Xinhua, the court verdict states that Chen has caused “tremendous damage” to Chinese football.
Dong Zheng, a former general manager of the Chinese Super League, Yu Hongchen, a former vice head of the CFA, and Chen Yongliang, a former executive deputy secretary general of the CFA, were among the other football officials under investigation for corruption.
According to official media on Tuesday, Chen Yongliang received a 14-year jail term, Yu received a 13-year penalty and Dong received an 8-year sentence.
