Former CFA president sentenced to life imprisonment

A former president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), Chen Xuyuan has been sentenced to life in prison for bribery, the country’s state media reported.

An anti-corruption crackdown led by President Xi Jinping has cut through sport, banking & the military. In football, more than a dozen coaches & players have been investigated, according to the Guardian.

A court in central Hubei province found that Chen took advantage of his various posts from 2010 to 2023, including those linked to the Chinese Football Association (CFA), to aid others in matters regarding project contracting, investment operations and sport events arrangements, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

In return, Chen accepted money and valuables worth more than 81 million yuan ($11m). Chen has brought “tremendous damage” to China’s football cause, Xinhua cited the court ruling as saying.