Former director of the Discipline Committee of the Chinese Football Association, Wang Xiaoping, was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison. According to Caixin news, Wang Xiaoping is not satisfied with the verdict and insisted on appealing, even kicking over the defendant’s bench in court.
On July 30, the first trial of Wang Xiaoping’s case was held, and he was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison.
Wang Xiaoping had served as the director of the Discipline Committee of the Chinese Football Association for many years. During his tenure, he issued controversial penalties multiple times.
On March 24, 2023, Wang Xiaoping was investigated. In April 2025, 65-year-old Wang Xiaoping stood trial for bribery amounting to 6.45 million yuan.
During the trial, Wang Xiaoping insisted on his innocence. However, his defense was not accepted by the court.
It is worth noting that in the first trial, Wang Xiaoping’s bribery amount was determined to be 5.45 million yuan, which is 1 million yuan less than the prosecution’s accusation of 6.45 million yuan. Despite this, Wang Xiaoping still disagreed with the outcome of the first trial.
According to sources, Wang Xiaoping was furious after hearing the verdict and kicked over the defendant’s bench.
On the same day as the verdict, Wang Xiaoping decided to appeal. His family also stated that they would definitely file an appeal. His lawyer will continue to defend him as innocent.
The report mentioned that Wang Xiaoping’s case is particularly unique in this corruption case in the football world – Wang Xiaoping immediately retracted his confession upon being transferred to the prosecution, denying the bribery charges. The differences between the prosecution and defense on whether a crime was committed are more apparent, leading to a slow progression of the case.
Previously, after the first trial, Li Tie also appealed. However, the result of the second trial of Li Tie’s case showed that the court rejected his appeal, upheld the first trial’s verdict, and Li Tie was still sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Since Li Tie’s investigation, at least nearly twenty senior officials within the football association system have been sentenced, including former vice chairman of the football association, Li Yuyi, who was sentenced to 11 years, and former vice chairman Yuan Hongchen, who was sentenced to 13 years.