Head of national soccer association investigated by anti-graft watchdog

Chinese Football Association president Chen Xuyuan is under investigation for suspected violations of discipline and the law, China's top anti-graft watchdog said on Tuesday.

Chen is being investigated by a disciplinary inspection and supervision team stationed at the General Administration of Sport of China, which was sent by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision. The Hubei provincial commission of supervision is also involved.

Chen's investigation is linked to former Team China head coach Li Tie, who was placed under investigation in November by the national disciplinary inspection team as well as the Hubei supervision commission for suspected serious violations of discipline and the law.

In January, Chen Yongliang, the CFA's executive deputy secretary-general, and Liu Yi, the CFA's former secretary-general, were both placed under investigation for the same reason. No details of the investigation have been released.

The news of Chen Xuyuan's investigation quickly became the top trending news on Chinese social media. The hashtag "CFA president under investigation "was viewed over 100 million times in two hours on Weibo, with most netizens expressing their frustration about the disappointing situation of Chinese soccer.

"In less than half a year, the CFA president, the governing body's secretary-general and Team China's former head coach are all under investigation. What (has) actually happened behind Chinese soccer? Let's wait for the answer," sports commentator Han Qiaosheng wrote on social media.

Chen, who was the president of Shanghai International Port Group, was elected CFA president in 2019. With the 66-year-old as head of Chinese soccer's governing body, the men's national squad has delivered a series of disappointing performance, while development of the nation's soccer leagues is facing major difficulties.

Under Chen's governance and coach Li's tenure, the men's national team failed to qualify for last year's World Cup in Qatar, despite the association's considerable budget to utilize foreign-born players who become naturalized citizens.

On the league side, a number of clubs at all levels, even giants such as eight-time Chinese Super League champion Guangzhou FC, are facing survival problems, while the overall influence of the nation's professional leagues is decreasing.