No leniency. Chen Xuyuan (pictured above), the president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) between 2019 and 2023, has been sentenced to life in prison for corruption. The Chinese agency Xinhua reports that the former official pleaded guilty last January, admitting to receiving bribes worth 81 million yuan ($11,2 million) between 2010 and 2023, as president of the CFA but also in his role as boss of the Shanghai International Port Group. He would have used his influence to obtain contracts in the industrial and sports sectors. Always according to Xinhua, the court justified its sentence by the “ enormous damage » caused by Chen Xuyuan to the cause of Chinese football. Three other senior football officials were sentenced on Tuesday March 26 to sentences ranging from eight to fourteen years in prison for corruption.
