Former Chinese men’s national football team coach Li Tie has been sentenced to 20 years in prison following a lengthy corruption trial. Xinhua announced it today.
Li “was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the first trial,” the official news agency reported without providing further details. Since coming to power in 2012, President Xi Jinping has waged a broad anti-corruption campaign across many sectors. Authorities in Beijing began attacking the world of sport in late 2022 and this week announced a series of heavy sentences against former football officials. China’s coach from January 2020 to December 2021, Li Tie, 47, pleaded guilty in early 2024, admitting to receiving more than ten million dollars in bribes. Li is also one of the best-known former Chinese footballers. He was a midfielder for Everton and Sheffield in the Premier League and played almost 100 times for the national team before embarking on a coaching career with Chinese clubs.
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