BEIJING (AFP) – China jailed two more former top football officials for bribery yesterday, court statements showed, following a sweeping crackdown on corruption in the domestic game.
Liu Yi, who was secretary general of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), was handed an 11-year sentence and fined CNY3.6 million (USD497,000) for taking bribes, a court in central Hubei province said.
A separate court in the same province said former head of the CFA’s referees management office Tan Hai was given six and a half years and a CNY200,000 fine.
“The property he obtained will be clawed back in accordance with the law and turned over to the state treasury,” both statements said.
Another court on Tuesday said the CFA’s ex-chief of strategic planning Qi Jun was sentenced to seven years and slapped with a CNY600,000 penalty, also for bribery.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has waged an unrelenting campaign against corruption since coming to power over a decade ago. Proponents say the policy promotes clean governance.
Anti-graft authorities first trained their sights on football at the end of 2022 as part of an extensive clampdown on the sports industry.
Former CFA chief Chen Xuyuan was jailed for life in March for accepting bribes.
The same month, former national team coach and Premier League midfielder Li Tie pleaded guilty to the same crime.
