Former Head Coach of China's National Football Team, Li Tie, Sentenced to 20 Years for Corruption

Former head coach of China's national football team, Li Tie, was implicated in a case involving nearly 120 million yuan. The image shows Li Tie during his trial (video screenshot).

People News - Former Chinese national football team head coach and player, Li Tie, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for charges including bribery and embezzlement, among others. The verdict, handed down on Friday, December 13, marks the most high-profile case since the CCP launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign targeting the sports industry. In a related move, Gou Zhongwen, the former head of the General Administration of Sport of China, was expelled from the Party just a day prior.

According to Voice of America, CCP leader Xi Jinping, an avid football fan, has long pursued the goal of transforming China into a football powerhouse since taking office. However, the national team’s performance in international competitions has remained lackluster.

Starting in 2022, Xi’s administration turned its anti-corruption efforts toward the sports industry. This week saw a series of convictions involving former members of the Chinese national football team’s management, with Li Tie being the most prominent figure. Once a celebrated star, Li was not only the head coach of the national team but also played in the English Premier League and was named "China Footballer of the Year" in 2001.

On Friday, the Intermediate People’s Court of Xianning in Hubei Province sentenced the 47-year-old Li to 20 years in prison for multiple charges, including accepting bribes, offering bribes, corporate bribery, accepting bribes as a non-state employee, and bribing non-state employees.

Li was first placed under investigation by the discipline inspection team of the General Administration of Sport in November 2022, formally charged in August 2023, and admitted guilt to all charges during his trial on March 28 this year.

According to accusations by the Xianning Prosecutor’s Office, Li Tie received a total of approximately 77 million RMB (around $10.58 million USD) in illegal gains between 2015 and 2021. He also reportedly offered bribes to secure his position as the national team’s head coach and, during his tenure as a professional team coach, colluded with the team to pay nearly 40 million RMB (about $5.5 million USD) to manipulate matches.

Official media released photos of Li Tie during his sentencing. Wearing a black hoodie, he maintained his signature hairstyle, which became a topic of discussion on Weibo, where users noted that his hair had not yet been cut.

The public sentencing lasted approximately 30 minutes. According to his lawyer, whether Li Tie will appeal the verdict is still under discussion. If no appeal is filed within 10 days, the first-instance judgment will take effect. However, China’s judicial system is tightly controlled by the CCP, with criminal conviction rates nearing 100%.

In January of this year, Li Tie appeared in a CCTV documentary about corruption in Chinese football, where he admitted to bribing his way into the position of head coach for the national team.

He also stated, “When I was a player, I hated those who fixed matches the most.” However, after becoming a professional team coach, he developed “a strong desire to prove himself,” a mindset he now regrets. Li remarked, “I deeply regret it. One must stay grounded and walk the right path.”

CCTV has often aired confessions from suspects before they stand trial, a practice widely condemned by human rights organizations.

This week has seen multiple verdicts related to corruption in the sports sector. Liu Yi, former secretary general of the Chinese Football Association; Tan Hai, former director of the referees’ management department; and Qi Jun, former director of the strategic planning department, were all convicted of bribery and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 6.5 to 11 years, with fines of 200,000 to 3.6 million RMB (approximately $27,500 to $495,000 USD).

Additionally, Chen Xuyuan, the former chairman of the Chinese Football Association, was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery in March this year, with all personal assets confiscated.

Gou Zhongwen Expelled from the CCP

On Thursday, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission launched an investigation into Gou Zhongwen, former director of the General Administration of Sport and secretary of its Party Leadership Group, for “serious violations of discipline and law.”

Public records show that Gou served as the director of the General Administration of Sport, chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, chairman of the All-China Sports Federation, and executive chairman of the organizing committee for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics starting in 2016.

In July 2022, at age 65, Gou stepped down from his roles in the General Administration of Sport due to age limits. He later became a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and deputy director of its Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee in 2023. However, in May this year, it was officially announced that he was under investigation.

According to state media, Gou Zhongwen has been accused of severely undermining the political environment of the sports system. Allegations include accepting illicit gifts, attending banquets and tours in violation of regulations, abusing his power to benefit his relatives' business activities, engaging in transactions of power for sexual favors, misusing public office for personal gain, and receiving large sums of illegal funds.

State media reported that Gou’s actions constitute serious misconduct in office and involve bribery and abuse of power. Despite warnings after the 18th Party Congress, he failed to correct his behavior. As a result, he was expelled from the CCP and removed from public office, with all illicit gains confiscated.