China former football chief sentenced to life for bribery

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

In football, more than a dozen coaches and players have been investigated.

Prosecutors said Chen accepted money and valuables in exchange for his help with obtaining project contracts and arranging sporting events.

The court ruling said he had brought “tremendous damage” to China’s football cause, according to the state-controlled Xinhua news agency.

State media also said that three other senior football officials were sentenced on Tuesday to between eight and 14 years in prison for corruption.

Earlier this year, an ex-Everton midfielder and former head coach of China’s national men’s soccer team, Li Tie, confessed to fixing matches and offering bribes to people, including Chen, to get China’s top coaching job.

In 2011, he spoke of his ‘three wishes’ for Chinese football: to qualify for the World Cup again, to host the tournament and to one day win the trophy.