Li Tie, the former head coach of the Chinese national men’s football team, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for bribery, according to reports from state media. Li, who had also played for Everton in the English Premier League, admitted earlier this year to match-fixing, accepting bribes, and offering bribes to secure the top coaching position.
This case highlights how President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign has extended into various sectors, including sports, banking, and the military. Just days earlier, three former officials from the Chinese Football Association (CFA) were also sentenced to prison for bribery-related offenses. Over a dozen other coaches and players have been investigated in connection with the scandal.
Li Tie, who served as the head coach of China’s national football team from January 2020 to December 2021, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to accepting over $16 million in bribes. The bribery activities occurred between 2015, when Li was an assistant coach at Hebei China Fortune Club, and 2021, when he resigned as national coach. In exchange for the bribes, Li selected certain players for the national team and assisted football clubs in winning competitions.
In an anti-corruption documentary aired by state broadcaster CCTV earlier this year, Li expressed regret for his actions, apologizing and stating, “I’m very sorry. I should have kept my head to the ground and followed the right path. There were certain things that at the time were common practices in football.”
Li, 47, had a distinguished playing career, with 92 appearances for China, including at the 2002 World Cup, the country’s only appearance in the tournament to date. Earlier this year, his former boss, Chen Xuyuan, the former president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), was sentenced to life in prison for accepting $11 million in bribes.
This case comes at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized the need to transform China into a major football power. In 2011, Xi outlined his “three wishes” for Chinese football: qualifying for the World Cup, hosting the tournament, and eventually winning it. However, the recent convictions of key football figures, including those who were supposed to lead the football revolution, have further undermined the country’s football ambitions.
The current anti-corruption campaign in Chinese football mirrors a similar crackdown in 2010, when several officials, national team players, and referees were imprisoned for corruption. That campaign, also led by Xi when he was vice president, appears to be following a similar pattern, with new individuals involved but the same systemic issues at play. Rowan Simons, author of Bamboo Goalposts, which explores grassroots football in China, commented that the current campaign resembles the one from 10 years ago with a different set of characters.