Former China national team coach Li loses appeal of 20-year bribery sentence
China’s head coach Li Tie attends the World Cup 2022 group B qualifying soccer match between China and Vietnam at Sharjah stadium in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)
Former China national team coach Li Tie lost his appeal against a 20-year prison sentence handed down on corruption charges, a Chinese court announced Wednesday.
Li, who once played in the Premier League for Everton, was sentenced in December after being found guilty of giving and accepting bribes of around 120 million yuan ($16.5 million) while coaching both Chinese Super League club Hebei China Fortune and the national team between 2015 and 2021.
He appealed the sentence, but the judge at the Hubei High People’s Court upheld the original verdict.
Li can now choose to take his case to the Supreme People’s Court, the highest judicial body in the country.
China has been seeking to stamp out corruption and match-fixing in soccer for decades. In 2024, Li was just one of a number of high-profile figures in the sport to be prosecuted in an anti-corruption sweep.
Former China Football Association (CFA) president Chen Xuyuan was jailed for life for accepting bribes while former CFA vice-president Yu Hongchen, ex-deputy secretary general Chen Yongliang, and former Super League general manager Dong Zheng were also sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
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