Li Tie, the former head coach of China’s national football team and ex-Premier League player for Everton, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for bribery as part of China’s ongoing anti-corruption efforts in sports.
The 47-year-old was found guilty of accepting and offering bribes totaling 120 million yuan ($16.5 million) between 2015 and 2021, which includes his time as national coach.
The sentencing took place on December 13, 2024, in a court in Hubei province. Li had previously admitted to his crimes, including arranging bribes worth nearly $421,000 to secure his coaching job and manipulate Chinese Super League matches.
His confessions were aired in a CCTV documentary in January, where he revealed his role in fixing matches and receiving bribes.
Li’s conviction marks the highest-profile case in China’s extensive campaign to clean up corruption in football.
This crackdown, backed by President Xi Jinping, has also led to the imprisonment of several prominent figures within Chinese football, including former Chinese Football Association (CFA) president Chen Xuyuan, who was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year for accepting over 81 million yuan ($11 million) in bribes.
The CFA has also imposed life bans on 38 players and five club officials as a result of an investigation into match-fixing and gambling. The probe uncovered the fixing of 120 matches, involving 41 clubs.
Corruption has long been seen as a major factor in the underperformance of China’s national football team, and the sweeping actions against officials and players signal the government’s commitment to cleaning up the sport.
