Former Everton Star Li Tie Sentenced to Life in Prison for Corruption

Former Everton player and China national team manager Li Tie has reportedly been sentenced to life imprisonment on corruption charges in his home country. Li spent four seasons with Everton from 2002 to 2006, playing in 40 matches across all competitions at the Premier League club.

The 46-year-old, who also had a brief spell at Sheffield United as a player, is now facing a lifetime behind bars amid a Chinese crackdown on corruption in football. Reports indicate that just a year after stepping down as manager of the Chinese national team in 2021, Li was accused of accepting and offering bribes by the Chinese public prosecutor.

Li admitted to paying around £330,000 to manage the national football team in a televised confession on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. He also confessed to being involved in a match-fixing scandal to secure promotions with club teams he played for in China.

Li Tie was the manager of China between 2019 and 2021 (Picture: Getty)

Li expressed remorse in his televised confession, “I’m very sorry. I should have kept my head to the ground and followed the right path. At the time, certain things were common practices in football.”

Gaining ‘success’ through such improper means made me increasingly impatient and eager for quick results. To achieve good performance, I resorted to influencing referees, bribing opposing players and coaches, sometimes through clubs dealing with other clubs.”

Li Tie’s case serves as a reminder of the ongoing efforts to combat corruption in football—The consequences of such illicit activities.