China sentences ex-football official to 11 years for corruption

Chinese Football Association (CFA) President Song Kai (L), Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa (2nd-L), and the Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup Local Organising Committee Chairman Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani (2nd-R) attend the Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup Group A football match between China and Tajikistan at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha on January 13, 2024. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP)

A Chinese court on Monday sentenced a former top official of the country’s football association to 11 years in prison for taking bribes, the latest figure to fall foul of a sweeping crackdown on graft in sports.

Li Yuyi, a former vice president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), was sentenced by a court in Jingzhou, Hubei province.

He was also fined $140,000, while assets he obtained through corruption would be confiscated and turned over to the state, the court said.

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In March, Li pleaded guilty to using his positions in the CFA to accumulate money and gifts worth over $1.7 million between 2004 and 2021.

Li served as vice president of the CFA from 2015 to 2019. Before that, he was head of Shanghai’s sports administration.

Under President Xi Jinping, authorities have cracked down hard on graft in China’s sports industry, especially in football.

Xi is a self-confessed football fanatic who has said he dreams of his country hosting and winning the World Cup.

But that ambition appears further away than ever after repeated corruption scandals and years of disappointing results on the pitch.

READ: When China went to war on endemic football corruption

In March, former CFA head Chen Xuyuan was sentenced to life in prison for accepting bribes worth more than $11 million.

The same month, the former head coach of China’s national team and ex-Everton midfielder Li Tie pleaded guilty to accepting over $10.7 million in bribes and helping to fix matches.

And in May, state broadcaster CCTV reported that Gou Zhongwen, former director of the General Administration of Sport of China, was under investigation for corruption.

Around 10 high level CFA officials have come under investigation in recent months.