Ex-coach of China's national men's football team sentenced to 20 years for corruption
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Wuhan, Dec 13 (NationPress) The ex-head coach of China's national men's football team and renowned football player Li Tie was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday for both giving and receiving bribes.
The ruling was issued by the Intermediate People's Court of Xianning in Hubei Province, located in central China, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
Li, born in 1977 and a former Everton player, was placed under investigation in November 2022 and faced trial in March of this year.
According to the indictment, between 2019 and 2021, Li exploited his roles as head coach of the national team and the national selection team to assist relevant organizations and individuals with player selection, match results, and club contract signings. During this timeframe, he unlawfully received over 50.89 million yuan (approximately $7 million).
He was also accused of multiple bribery offenses that occurred from 2015 to 2019 while he was affiliated with local football clubs.
Li Tie was one of the most prominent Chinese midfielders, earning 93 caps for the national team and playing three matches at the 2002 World Cup, along with a tenure at the English Premier League team Everton.
He served as head coach of the Chinese national team from January 2020 until December 2021.
On the same day, Du Zhaocai, the former deputy head of the General Administration of Sport of China and former Party chief and vice-president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), was sentenced by the Intermediate People's Court of Wuhan in Hubei Province to 14 years in prison for accepting bribes.
From 2012 to 2022, Du utilized his various roles to assist others in matters such as hosting tournaments, personnel arrangements, and player transfers, accepting 43.41 million yuan in exchange, as stated in the indictment.
Du's sentencing marks the latest development in the extensive anti-corruption campaign within China's football sector, which initiated with the investigation into Li in late 2022.
Earlier this week, courts in Hubei issued sentences to three additional former CFA officials after finding them guilty of bribery.
