Reports indicate that former Everton standout Li Tie has been handed a life sentence for corruption in his native China.
During his tenure at Everton from 2002 to 2006, Li Tie amassed 40 appearances across various competitions after initially joining the Premier League side on loan.
Despite a brief stint at Sheffield United as a player, where he featured only once, the 46-year-old’s football journey now culminates in a life behind bars, as Chinese authorities intensify their crackdown on football-related corruption.
Following his tenure as manager of the China national team from 2019 to 2021, Li Tie faced allegations of bribery from the Chinese public prosecutor, as revealed in a televised confession on state broadcaster CCTV.
In this admission, Li confessed to paying approximately £330,000 to secure his managerial role with the national team and acknowledged involvement in match-fixing scandals aimed at facilitating promotions for clubs he represented in China.
‘I’m very sorry,’ Li said in a televised statement. ‘I should have kept my head to the ground and followed the right path. There were certain things that at the time were common practices in football.
‘By gaining ‘success’ through such improper means, it actually made me more and more impatient and eager for quick results.
‘In order to achieve good performance, I resorted to influencing referees, bribing opposing players and coaches, sometimes through clubs dealing with other clubs.’
