China News Service, Beijing, March 26 (Reporter Zhang Su) The reporter learned from the Supreme People's Court of China that on March 26, the Intermediate People's Court of Huangshi City, Hubei Province publicly announced the verdict of the first instance of the bribery case of Chen Xuyuan, the former chairman of the Chinese Football Association, and sentenced the defendant Chen Xuyuan was sentenced to life imprisonment for accepting bribes, deprived of political rights for life, and all personal property was confiscated; his illegal gains from accepting bribes were recovered in accordance with the law and turned over to the state treasury.
Public information shows that Chen Xuyuan was born in July 1956. In August 2019, he was elected chairman of the Chinese Football Association. In February 2023, officials reported that he was under investigation while in office.
After trial, it was found that from 2010 to 2023, the defendant Chen Xuyuan took advantage of his position as president and chairman of Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., Ltd., leader of the preparatory group for the reelection of the Chinese Football Association, and chairman of the Chinese Football Association. Facilitating the formation of authority, status, and providing assistance to relevant units and individuals in matters such as project contracting, investment and operation, event arrangements, etc., illegally accepting money from others totaling more than 81.03 million yuan, of which 4 million yuan was not actually obtained. .
The court held that the defendant Chen Xuyuan’s behavior constituted the crime of accepting bribes, and the amount was particularly huge. During his tenure at the Chinese Football Association, he sought improper benefits for multiple football clubs and local football associations in matters such as event arrangements, league promotions, referee penalties, etc., seriously damaging the order of fair competition in the football field and the industry's ecological environment, and causing serious consequences to the national football industry. Damage; seeking job promotion or adjustment for others, with severe punishment at discretion. In view of the fact that his bribery of 4 million yuan was an attempt; after arriving at the case, he truthfully confessed his crime and took the initiative to explain some of the facts of the bribery crime that the supervisory authority has not grasped; he exposed other people's criminal behavior, which was verified to be true, and he had meritorious service; he pleaded guilty and repented, actively returned the stolen goods, and accepted bribes All the stolen money has been recovered and he can be given a lighter punishment in accordance with the law. The court then made the above judgment.
The TV special "Continuous Efforts to Promote Deeply" aired at the beginning of this year revealed that Chen Xuyuan received tens of millions of yuan in money from many clubs during his tenure. "Fans can tolerate the backwardness of Chinese football, but they cannot forgive corruption." He once appeared in the film and confessed that as the chairman of the Football Association, he "bears the main responsibility" and wanted to deeply apologize to fans across the country.
It is worth mentioning that in the final statement of the trial, Chen Xuyuan bowed at 90° for nearly 10 seconds and apologized to the fans across the country: "I have no face to face the fans. Here I publicly apologize to the fans across the country and sincerely apologize to the fans all over the country." The fans say sorry and hope to be forgiven by the fans." (End)