The former coach of China’s men’s national football team, Li Tie, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for bribery, according to Chinese state media on Friday. Li, a former midfielder who played for Everton in the English Premier League, managed the Chinese national team from January 2020 to December 2021.
The 47-year-old was convicted by a court in Hubei province of multiple bribery offences, including receiving bribes totalling approximately $7 million. The court found that Li had “leveraged his positions” as head coach of the national team and national selection team to accept bribes in return for selecting specific players and favouring clubs in competitions.
Li was also found guilty of accepting bribes during his tenure at local football clubs between 2015 and 2019.
The investigation into Li’s misconduct began in November 2022, and he pleaded guilty to bribery and corruption in March this year.
Li’s case is the latest in a series of corruption scandals to hit Chinese football, a sport plagued by allegations of match-fixing and graft for over two decades. Many fans have attributed the national team’s dismal performance to widespread corruption within the sport.
Earlier this year, Chen Xuyuan, the former president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery. Just this week, three other CFA officials received prison sentences for similar charges.
These high-profile cases are part of an ongoing crackdown on corruption in Chinese football, as authorities attempt to address the systemic issues undermining the sport’s development and reputation in the country.
