The former president of the china football federationwho confessed on television to having received bribes, was sentenced to life imprisonment as part of a major campaign against corruption in this sport, state media announced on Tuesday.
Chen Xuyuan sought to obtain “undue advantages for several local football clubs and football associations, harming fair competition and order in the football sector,” the Communist Party-controlled People's Daily newspaper said.
Between 2010 and 2023, Chen took advantage of his positions in the federation and other organizations “to illegally accept sums of money from other people totaling 81.03 million yuan”, about 11 million dollars, this newspaper indicated.
The sports leader sought to obtain “undue advantages for several football clubs and local football associations” by fixing matches or promotions or imposing sanctions on referees. The media's information claims that the bribes paid to Chen were “particularly enormous” and that his actions undermined “fair competition and order in the football sector.”
“It caused serious consequences for the national soccer industry,” the newspaper states. Since his rise to power more than a decade ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping, a self-confessed football fan, has promoted a broad campaign against corruption in the public sphere. This policy had a strong impact on the domestic soccer industry since last year with four major cases due to conclude this Tuesday, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
AFP
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