China has sentenced two former high-ranking football officials to prison for bribery, as part of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign targeting the nation’s sports industry.
Liu Yi, former secretary-general of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), received an 11-year prison sentence and was fined 3.6 million yuan ($497,000) by a court in Hubei province. Meanwhile, Tan Hai, who headed the CFA’s referees management office, was sentenced to six and a half years and fined 200,000 yuan. Authorities confirmed that all illicit earnings would be confiscated and transferred to the state treasury.
This follows Tuesday’s sentencing of Qi Jun, the CFA’s ex-chief of strategic planning, to seven years in prison with a 600,000 yuan fine for similar charges.
China’s President Xi Jinping has intensified efforts to root out corruption since he took office over a decade ago. His anti-graft campaign has increasingly targeted the sports industry, with the football sector under scrutiny since late 2022.
In March, former CFA chief Chen Xuyuan was jailed for life, and former national team coach Li Tie also pleaded guilty to bribery.
Xi, a self-declared football enthusiast, has expressed ambitions for China to host and win the FIFA World Cup. However, the country’s men’s national team currently ranks 90th globally, trailing significantly behind football powerhouses.
The crackdown reflects Xi’s vision of reforming the sports sector to align with his broader goals of clean governance and elevating China’s global standing in football.
