Former Everton player Li Tie has reportedly been sentenced to life in prison in his native China for corruption.
Li made 33 appearances for Everton while on loan from Chinese club Liaoning during the 2002–03 season and made seven appearances the following season after signing permanently.
The defensive midfielder played briefly for Sheffield United but suffered injury problems after breaking his leg on international duty in February 2004.
Li, 46, finished his career in China and managed their national team between 2019 and 2021.
A year after Li left that post, China’s public prosecutor issued a statement saying he was “suspected of accepting and offering bribes” amid a major crackdown on football corruption.
Former Everton player Li Tie (left) has reportedly been sentenced to life imprisonment after admitting paying bribes and fixing matches
Li celebrates an Everton goal with Wayne Rooney during a Premiership match in 2002
China-based journalist and author Mark Dreyer said Li had been sentenced to life in prison
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Li admitted paying 3 million yuan (£330,000) in bribes to become coach of the national team, in a televised confession on state broadcaster CCTV.
He also confessed to taking part in a match-fixing scandal to gain promotion with his club teams.
Li said, “I’m very sorry. I should have kept my head on the ground and followed the right path. There were certain things that were common in football at that time.”
China-based reporter and author said Mark Dreyer Li was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the scandal.
The former head of the Chinese Football Association, Chen Xuyuan, has been given a 15-year prison sentence for bribery, Dreyer said.
Li admitted that he had successfully fixed matches as coach of Hebei China Fortune and Wuhan Zall. The latter was promoted from the China League One to champion in 2018.
He added in his televised statement: ‘Achieving ‘success’ by such inappropriate means actually made me more and more impatient and eager for quick results.
‘To perform well, I resorted to influencing referees, bribing opponents and coaches, sometimes through clubs trading with other clubs.
Li Tie enjoyed a successful first season at Everton in 2002-03 before breaking his leg
‘This behavior becomes a habit and eventually even a mild dependence on these practices develops.’
Li was considered one of the most talented Chinese players of his generation when he signed for Everton in August 2002.
The loan deal for him – and compatriot Li Weifeng – was brokered by the now defunct Chinese telecommunications company Keijan, which sponsored Everton at the time.
Li later became coach of the Chinese national team but admitted paying £330,000 in bribes to secure the role
Li was a surprise hit at Goodison Park, with manager David Moyes playing him regularly in the Premier League as Everton finished in seventh place.
That convinced Everton to sign him permanently in August 2003 for £1.2 million, with two-thirds of the deal paid for by sponsorship.
After being sent off against Arsenal on the opening day of the season, Li broke his leg playing for China in February 2004 and never managed to break back into the first team.
He was released by Everton in 2006 and joined Sheffield United, but he made only one appearance for the Blades due to persistent injury problems.
Li, who played 92 times for China between 1995 and 2007, moved to Chengdu Blades, who joined Sheffield United in 2008 and later returned to home club Liaoning.
After coaching at club level, he acted as interim coach of the Chinese national team after Marcello Lippi resigned in 2019 and was subsequently appointed permanently.
In November 2022, it was initially announced that Li had been investigated for “serious violation of the law” by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the anti-corruption bureau, the National Supervisory Commission.