Former Everton footballer and China coach Li Tie pleads guilty to taking over US$10 million in bribes
- Li is accused of giving and taking bribes, as well as participating in match fixing, court says in a statement after Thursday’s hearing
- The former English Premier League player’s sentence will be announced at later date, court says
Former China football coach and ex-Everton midfielder Li Tie pleaded guilty on Thursday to accepting over US$10 million in bribes, a court said, part of a broader crackdown on corruption in Chinese football.
His former boss, the discredited Chinese Football Association chairman Chen Xuyuan, was jailed for life this week for taking bribes worth US$11 million.
China’s legal system is tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party and courts have a near-100 per cent conviction rate in criminal cases.
Local journalists gathered in front of the court in central Hubei province where 46-year-old Li’s case was heard.
Li, who was China coach from January 2020 until December 2021, is accused of giving and taking bribes, as well as participating in match fixing, the Hubei court said in a statement on Thursday.
He accepted more than 77 million yuan (US$10.6 million) in bribes from 2017 to 2021, including during his time working as coach for the Wuhan Zall club, the court said.