The former coach of China’s national men’s football team has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for taking bribes, state media reported.
Li Tie, who played for Everton in the Premier League, admitted earlier this year that he fixed games, accepted bribes, and paid bribes in order to obtain the top coaching position.
The case shows how President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption crackdown is affecting sports, banks and the military.
Earlier this week, three former Chinese Football Association (CFA) officials were also jailed for taking bribes. More than a dozen coaches and players are under investigation.
Li, who served as the national team’s head coach from January 2020 to December 2021, admitted in March this year to accepting more than $10 million in bribes.
Earlier this year, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV aired an anti-corruption documentary profiling the 47-year-old man, in which he apologized for his crimes.
“I’m very sorry. I should have kept a low profile and followed the right path,” he said. “Some things were common practice in football at the time.”
Li Na played 92 times for the Chinese team and participated in the 2002 World Cup.
his former boss, Former Chinese Football Association Chairman Chen XuyuanEarlier this year, he was sentenced to life in prison for accepting bribes worth $11 million.
Xi Jinping has expressed ambitions in the past to turn China into a football powerhouse.
In 2011, he talked about his “three wishes” for Chinese football: to qualify for the World Cup again, host the World Cup, and one day win the trophy.
But the recent detentions and convictions of leading football figures – some of them officials responsible for leading the football revolution – have once again thwarted the country’s football ambitions.
