Former Chinese football executives sentence to jail for bribery

The former director of the competition department at the Chinese Football Association, Huang Song, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for taking bribes, state broadcaster CCTV said on Tuesday.

Huang was also fined 600 000 yuan ($84 000), CCTV reported.

In another court ruling, a former executive committee member of the football association, Gu Jianming, was sentenced for bribery, CCTV said.

Gu, who was also a former chairman and secretary-general of the Chengdu Football Association, was given six years in jail and a 400 000 yuan fine.

The sport has long grappled with corruption, which fans have blamed for the enduring underperformance of the national team. On Monday, the former vice president of the national football association was sentenced to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes.