Former Chinese soccer bigwig sentenced to 11 years for bribery

Liu Jun, former chairman of the Chinese Super League company, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for bribery by a court in Hubei province on Wednesday.

He was also fined 1.1 million yuan ($153,317). The illicit gains and interest obtained by Liu will be confiscated in accordance with the law and turned over to the national treasury, according to the statement from the People's Court of Tongshan county.

Liu has been a high-profile figure in soccer for over 10 years. He joined the early preparations for the organization of CFL at the end of 2018. In July 2021, Liu was appointed as the deputy team leader of the preparatory group of the CFL and later became the chairman of the CSL company, responsible for professional league business development and operation.

He was put under investigation in August 2023 for suspected severe violation of disciplines and laws. He became the second significant figure in the Chinese soccer arena to be placed under graft probes after Li Tie, former head coach of China men's national soccer team, was charged with corruption and bribery.

Also on Wednesday, Wang Xiaoping, former director of the disciplinary committee of the Chinese Football Association, was sentenced to ten years and six months in prison for the crime of bribery and fined 700,000 yuan. Wang's illicit gains and interest obtained will be confiscated in accordance with the law and turned over to the national treasury, according to the statement from the People's Court of Songzi City in Hubei. Wang's case was heard in public on April 16, 2025.