Former China player sentenced to death

A former China youth international football player has been sentenced to death with two years' reprieve for killing a man over gambling debts, local media reported yesterday.

Wen Junwu, 30, who played for the national Under-20 team and a top league club in Guangzhou 10 years ago, pleaded guilty to murder and theft, the China Daily said.

The midfielder lost nearly all his money gambling after being expelled by his then club Guangzhou Apollo together with the coach and another three players suspected of collusion with gambling groups in 1999.

Failing to pay a debt of about 80,000 yuan ($11,720), Wen and two other friends stabbed the man they owed the money to in June last year and stole more than 1,000 yuan ($150), the court heard.

A two-year reprieve means the death sentence can be commuted into life imprisonment after two years of good behaviour.