Li Tie, 47, who played in the English league for Everton alongside Wayne Rooney in the early 2000s and was one of the country’s most beloved players, received a harsh sentence after his involvement in corruption
Li Tie wasn’t considered a superstar or someone particularly well-known to European football fans, but in China, he was considered a local legend. Thanks to Chinese sponsorship of Everton in the early 2000s, he was one of the first two Chinese players to reach the world’s best league, making 34 appearances before breaking his leg and never playing again for the Toffees. He later moved to Sheffield United, where he didn’t record a single minute of play. After finishing his career in his homeland, he continued to a coaching career that peaked between 2019 and 2021 with the most coveted position – coaching the Chinese national team.
In 2022, a major corruption scandal erupted, with Li Tie at its center, facing state authorities’ accusations of “serious violations of law.” Nothing was said about the case for almost two years until Li gave an interview revealing he had secured his coaching position with a bribe of about $421,000. This morning (Friday), it was announced that he was sentenced to 20 years in prison following a lengthy investigation.
Despite President Xi Jinping’s vision of turning China into a “world football powerhouse,” Chinese professional football has been mired in poor financial decision-making, systemic corruption, and disappointing performances. In 2022, after the men’s team failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, a far-reaching investigation was launched into bribery and match-fixing in Chinese football.
Prosecutors accused Li of accepting bribes of more than 50 million yuan ($6.8 million) between 2019 and 2021 while serving as head coach of China’s national team. In return, he granted favors to certain players to be selected for the national team and helped certain clubs win matches, according to prosecutors. To become head coach, Li and his then-club arranged a bribe of 3 million yuan ($412,800 USD) to help secure the position.
Many Chinese football fans had hoped Li, once the pride of Chinese football, could lead the men’s football team to the World Cup when appointed head coach in January 2020, but Li resigned barely two years later after attacking fans who criticized him.