anti-graft Photo: VCG

Former Chinese national football team head coach Li Tie was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a first-instance verdict on Friday for a number of charges including offering and accepting bribes.

The verdict was made by the Intermediate People's Court of Xianning, Central China's Hubei Province.

From 2019 to 2021, Li, taking advantage of his position as the head coach of the Chinese men's national football team, accepted bribes totaling over 50.89 million yuan ($7.04 million), the Beijing Daily reported, citing revelations from the courts.

On the same day, Du Zhaocai, former deputy director of the General Administration of Sport of China and former Party secretary of the Chinese Football Association, was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined 4 million yuan for accepting bribes.

The Wuhan Intermediate People's Court in Central China's Hubei Province publicly sentenced Du in a first-instance trial for accepting bribes worth over 43 million yuan, according to the CCTV news.

Du used his position to seek improper benefits for football clubs in matters such as relocating home stadiums and player transfers, severely disrupting the fair competition order and industry environment in the football field. He also sought job promotions and adjustments for others, which warranted a heavier sentence.

After Li and Du's sentencing, Chinese Football Association (CFA) Vice President Yang Xu on Friday reaffirmed the zero-tolerance stance on corruption in football at a media briefing on the domestic football leagues. He highlighted the CFA's efforts to combat illegal practices during the 2024 season.

"We will continue to adopt a high-pressure approach to combat match-fixing, gambling, and other illegal activities," Yang said.

Yang also emphasized the importance of tightening admission standards for financial management to ensure financial stability for clubs and safeguard the rights of players, clubs, and youth training institutions.

"We must further tighten the league admission standards ... Efforts to address unpaid wages and overdue payments will protect the legitimate rights of players, clubs, and training institutions," Yang was quoted as saying by the Xinhua News Agency.

Global Times