Former Chinese Football Official Sentenced to 11 Years for Bribery

A Chinese court on Monday sentenced Li Yuyi, a former vice president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), to 11 years in prison for taking bribes, marking the latest development in a sweeping crackdown on corruption within China’s sports industry.

The court in Jingzhou, Hubei province, also imposed a fine of $140,000 on Li and ordered the confiscation of assets obtained through corruption, which will be turned over to the state.

Li Yuyi, who served as CFA vice president from 2015 to 2019 and previously led Shanghai’s sports administration, had pleaded guilty in March to accepting money and gifts worth over $1.7 million between 2004 and 2021. The court’s decision underscores the Chinese government’s intensified efforts to root out graft in the sports sector, particularly in football, under President Xi Jinping’s administration.

President Xi, a known football enthusiast, has expressed ambitions of China hosting and eventually winning the World Cup. However, these aspirations have been marred by numerous corruption scandals and underwhelming performances by the national team.

Li’s sentencing follows a series of high-profile cases in China’s sports community. In March, Chen Xuyuan, the former head of the CFA, received a life sentence for accepting over $11 million in bribes. That same month, Li Tie, a former head coach of China’s national football team and an ex-Everton midfielder, pleaded guilty to accepting more than $10.7 million in bribes and involvement in match-fixing.

The crackdown has also reached beyond football. In May, state broadcaster CCTV reported that Gou Zhongwen, former director of the General Administration of Sport of China, was under investigation for corruption.

With around 10 high-level CFA officials currently under investigation, the crackdown highlights the government’s determination to clean up corruption in Chinese sports as it strives to achieve its football ambitions.