Former football star and coach Li Tie has lost his appeal against a 20-year prison sentence for bribery. On Wednesday, April 30, a court in China confirmed the original sentence given to him in December last year.
Li, who is 47 years old, was found guilty of both giving and receiving bribes. He is one of the most well-known people punished in China’s ongoing fight against corruption in sports. Li used to be a famous football player in China and played nearly 100 matches for the national team. He also played for English Premier League club Everton in 2002.
After retiring from football, Li became a coach and led China’s national team from January 2020 to December 2021. His case is part of a larger effort by the Chinese government to stop corruption in football. Since 2022, many players, coaches, and officials have been arrested or punished.
China’s President Xi Jinping has been pushing hard to clean up sports in the country. The government wants to show that even famous people like Li Tie are not above the law.
