Former Chinese Football Association President, Chen Xuyuan, has been sentenced to life in prison for corruption, local media reported on Tuesday.
A court in central Chinese province of Hubei said he used his posts from 2010 to 2023 to influence projects awarded.
It said Chen also received bribes worth more than 81 million yuan ($11.42 million).
The court ruled Chen had “severely harmed the order of fair competition” and brought “tremendous damage” to the sport, the report said.
The investigation was first announced in February 2023 and he was charged in September.
The affair is seen as another setback for Chinese football.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is an ardent football fan and wants to make his country a major player in the sport.
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But the men’s team has only qualified once for the World Cup, and the football scene in the country has frequently been hit by corruption allegations in recent years.
The former Everton player and temporary national team coach, Li Tie, was also a suspect of corruption.
dpa/NAN.
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