Hong Kong CNN —A former Chinese soccer star and coach of the country’s national men’s team has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for corruption, state media reported on Friday. Despite leader Xi Jinping’s vision to turn China into a “world soccer superpower,” Chinese professional soccer has been mired with poor financial decision making, deep-rooted corruption and disappointing performance. But after becoming the head coach of a club, he realized it was a shortcut to improve his club’s ranking. Li is considered among the best Chinese players of his generation, and one of the most recognizable names in Chinese soccer. Many Chinese soccer fans had hoped that Li, once the pride of Chinese soccer, could lead the men’s national soccer team into the World Cup when he was appointed the head coach in January 2020.

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Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Li, Wayne Rooney, Xi, Chen Xuyuan, “, ”, ” Li, Sun, Joseph Yobo Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, national, English Premier League Everton, FIFA, CCTV, Communist Party, Manchester City, English Premier League, Everton, Sheffield United, team Locations: Hong Kong, Chinese, China, Qatar, Wuhan, Manchester, England, South Korea, Japan