Former chairman of the Hainan Football Association, Lu Jianhai, who was officially investigated a year ago, was sentenced to 13 years in prison on April 16 on charges of bribery and corruption.
On the afternoon of April 16, the Qiongzhong Court announced through its official WeChat account that Lu Jianhai, the former chairman of the Hainan Province Football Association, was found guilty of bribery and sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined 750,000 yuan (RMB). He was also found guilty of corruption and sentenced to 7 years in prison with a fine of 500,000 yuan. The sentences were combined to a total of 13 years in prison and a fine of 1.25 million yuan.
According to the announcement, Lu Jianhai, from 2008 to 2024, used his positions as director of the Hainan Provincial Sports Events Center, principal of the provincial sports school, and chairman of the provincial football association to assist 10 construction bosses, including Liu, in project contracting, fund allocation, equipment procurement, and sports event advertising business. He also helped the son of a certain Mr. Ye in cadre selection and appointment, illegally accepting more than 7.5 million yuan in bribes.
In addition, from 2009 to 2024, Lu Jianhai misappropriated more than 4.78 million yuan in public funds for personal gain, leveraging his positions as director of the Hainan Provincial Sports Events Center, principal of the provincial sports school, and chairman of the provincial football association.
The total amount of Lu Jianhai’s bribery and corruption sums up to over 12.28 million yuan.
Public records show that Lu Jianhai is a “veteran of Hainan football,” having been part of the Guangdong Youth Team during his youth and later serving as a football coach after retiring. He also held the position of principal of the Hainan Provincial Advanced Sports Technical School.
In July 2024, Lu Jianhai was appointed chairman of the Hainan Province Football Association, a position he held until he came under investigation in March 2025.