TIELING, China, June 13 (UPI) -- Two former heads of the Chinese soccer association were sentenced Wednesday to 10 1/2 years each in jail for accepting bribes.
Nan Yong, the former director of the Chinese Football Administrative Center, was sentenced in a court in the northeast city of Tieling for taking more than $235,000 in bribes from 1999 to 2009, Xinhua reported.
Nan, who is credited with leading China to its only World Cup finals in 2002, also was fined about $31,340 and his illegal gains were confiscated.
Nan's predecessor, Xie Yalong, was sentenced in a court in Dandong city for accepting about $214,000 in bribes. Xie was also fined $31,340.
Xiu alleged in court in April he had been tortured into confessing -- a claim Liaoning police later denied.
Nan and Xie said they would consult with their attorneys before deciding whether to appeal the verdicts.
Four former Chinese international players also were sentenced for taking bribes totaling about $1.27 million to fix a domestic league game, Xinhua said.
Shen Si received a six-year sentence, while Qi Hong, Jiang Jin and Li Ming were each sentenced to 5 1/2 years. Each of the former players was fined $79,400.
Li Dongsheng, the former top technical chief in the Chinese Football Administrative Center, was sentenced to nine years for bribery and embezzlement. He was also fined $15,700 and illegal gains of $133,400 were confiscated.
