Former head of Chinese Football Association sentenced to life

Chen Xuyuan, former head of the Chinese Football Association, was sentenced to life for bribery, the Intermediate People's Court in Huangshi, Hubei province, announced on Tuesday.

The court also stripped Chen of his political rights and ordered that all his personal assets be confiscated.

In addition, illicit gains and relevant interests Chen obtained should be turned over to the national treasury, the court said.

From 2010 to 2023, Chen misused his positions, including that of president of the Shanghai International Port Group and president of the association, to seek benefits for relevant departments and individuals in project contracting, investment and event arrangements, according to the court.

In return, he accepted bribes worth more than 81.03 million yuan ($11.2 million), of which, 4 million yuan were not successfully obtained at the end, the court added.

"Chen's behavior has constituted the crime of bribery, and the amount of the bribes was extremely large," the court said.

"Chen should be harshly punished, as he provided illegal help to others in job promotion and adjustment, and also sought undue benefits for multiple soccer clubs and associations in matters such as match arrangements, league promotions and referee decisions during his tenure at the association, seriously disrupting the fair competition order and industrial environment in the soccer sector, causing severe harm to the national soccer development," the court said.

"Considering he pleaded guilty, voluntarily confessed to bribery instances not yet known to the investigators, exposed others' offenses that were later found to be true and returned all illicit gains, we've leniently penalized him," it added.

Chen, 67, a Shanghai native, started his career in 1973 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1979.

He worked as president of the Shanghai International Port Group from February 2011 to June 2019. Two months later, he became the association's president.

In February 2023, he was placed under disciplinary and supervisory investigation.