Former Everton and Sheffield United midfielder Li Tie has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to bribery charges related to match-fixing, according to Chinese state media.
The former midfielder has played 40 matches Everton Throughout the 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons, first on loan and then as a permanent signing, before leaving Sheffield United In 2006. He made just one League Cup appearance in two seasons at the South Yorkshire club.
After finishing his playing career in China, Li went on to coach and manage Hebei China Fortune and Wuhan Zall before becoming manager of the Chinese national team in 2019. He left the post in December 2021.
Li Tie was sentenced to 20 years in prison in China
Lee was placed under investigation in November 2022 For ‘serious breach of law’, which was unspecified at the time.
In February this year, it was reported that Lee had admitted accepting $16m (£12.6m) in bribes and match-fixing from 2016-21, as well as offering bribes of his own to secure a job in the national team. Lee pleaded guilty to the charges in March.
Lee has now been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime. Three other former Chinese Football Association (CFA) officials were also jailed a few days ago.
Former CFA president Chen Xuan was jailed for life in March after pleading guilty to accepting bribes worth $11.2 million (£8.9 million).
After Lee’s sentencing, The BBC added ‘More than a dozen coaches and players have been investigated’ as part of the Chinese government’s anti-corruption drive.
Speaking in an anti-corruption documentary aired on Chinese state TV earlier this year, Li said: “I’m very sorry. I should have kept my head on the ground and followed the right path. There were things at the time that were common practice in football.”
This is the second major crackdown on corruption in Chinese football Several officials, players and referees were jailed in a similar raid in 2010.
One of Li’s former clubs, Chengdu Blades (then owned by Sheffield United, later known as Chengdu Tiancheng, and now disbanded), were relegated from the top flight in 2010 for match-fixing offenses on their way to promotion in 2007.
