By Abimbola Ogunnaike
Former player of Everton FC of England, Li Tie has been sentenced to life in prison for corruption in his home country of China.
In a televised confession on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, Li said he had paid around £330,000 to manage the national football team.
Tie, who revealed he had played a role in a match-fixing scandal to secure promotions with club teams he featured for in China, was ‘suspected of accepting and offering bribes’ by the Chinese public prosecutor.
This is coming after he left his role as manager of his nation.
The 46-year-old managed the China national team between 2019 and 2021.
Li made 40 appearances across all competitions for Everton having spent four years at the Premier League club from 2002 to 2006, just as he also plied his trade with Sheffield United
The former midfielder is now set to spend the rest of his life behind bars, amid a Chinese crackdown on corruption in football.
