Li Tie, a former player for English Premier League side Everton Football Club, has been sentenced to life in prison for corruption in China.
The 46-year-old, who made just forty appearances in his four years with the Merseyside club and managed the China national team between 2019 and 2021, confessed he paid a staggering £330,000 to manage the senior national team of China after the Chinese public prosecutor began to sound the alarm bells.
“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.
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By gaining ‘success’ through such improper means, it actually made me more and more impatient and eager for quick results.
In order to achieve a good performance, I resorted to influencing referees, bribing opposing players and coaches, and sometimes through clubs dealing with other clubs,” Li Tie continued.