The former president of the Chinese Football Federation was indicted on Tuesday for corruption, accused of having “accepted bribes”, the prosecution announced. Chen Xuyuan is suspected of having received bribes “of a particularly large amount”, according to a press release from the Hubei provincial prosecutor’s office. An investigation was launched against him in February by the sports authorities, who accused him at the time of “serious violations of discipline and the law”. The indictment of Chen Xuyuan comes as the Chinese authorities have launched a vast anti-corruption campaign in sport, which has notably targeted the boss of the Professional Football League, Liu Jun, and the former coach of the team national, Li Tie. The anti-corruption campaign led by Chinese President Xi Jinping has had a major impact on Chinese football, a sector already experiencing financial difficulties. A big football fan, Xi said he dreamed of China one day hosting and winning a World Cup. More generally, according to some observers, Mr. Xi would take advantage of this campaign to remove political rivals.
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