₦airaland Forum

The former coach of the Chinese national men's football team has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for bribery, state media reported.

Li Tie, who also played for Everton in the English Premier League, confessed earlier this year to fixing matches, accepting bribes, and offering bribes to get the top coaching job.

The case shows how President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption crackdown has cut through sport, banking and the military.

Earlier this week, three former officials from the Chinese Football Association (CFA) were also handed jail sentences for bribery. More than a dozen coaches and players have been investigated.


Li, who was the national team's head coach from January 2020 to December 2021, pleaded guilty in March to taking over $16 million in bribes.

The court said that this happened from 2015, when he was an assistant coach at the Hebei China Fortune Club, until 2021, when he quit as the national coach.

In exchange for the bribes, Li would select certain individuals for the national team and help football clubs win competitions.

The 47-year-old was featured in an anti-corruption documentary aired by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV early this year, wherein he apologised for his offences.

"I'm very sorry. I should have kept my head to the ground and followed the right path," he said. "There were certain things that at the time were common practices in football."

Li had made 92 appearances for China and played at the 2002 World Cup - the country's only appearance in the finals so far.

His former boss, the former CFA president Chen Xuyuan, was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year for accepting bribes worth $11 million.

Xi had in the past voiced his ambition to turn China into a major football power.

In 2011, he spoke of his "three wishes" for Chinese football: to qualify for the World Cup again, to host the tournament and to one day win the trophy.

But the recent detentions and convictions of major football figures - some of whom were officials tasked to lead the football revolution - have dealt another setback to the country's football ambitions.

This latest anti-graft campaign echoes an earlier crackdown in Chinese football in 2010, when several officials, national team players and referees were jailed for corruption.

That was also led by Xi, who was then China's vice-president.

Rowan Simons, who authored the book Bamboo Goalposts, on his long-term efforts to develop grassroots football in China, told BBC Chinese earlier this year: "In many ways, [the current campaign] looks exactly the same as it was 10 years ago with a different set of characters.

"How is it different? There's much more money involved."

Damnnn

A hoe will always be a hoe. There's a reason why her exes keep letting her go and why she doesn't stay long in a marriage.

Definitely she's a hoe, who goes for the bag always. And this won't be different either.

Damnnn

This no go still save person when the aircraft crash.

Damnnnn

Shebi be who get money dey spend am. Any man doing such shits must be flogged publicly.

Damnnnn

That city should be rated as one of the dirtiest city in Nigeria.

Damnnnn

Happy birthday to him

Nuy lowkey, ozekhome to na thief.

Damnnnn

Wike the wiked won't like this at all

Man go dey vex with him ogogoro induced anger.

Uchenna10:
People keep saying that only 10% of fx traders are successful.

No be lies my bro... As long as focus on the chat and keep your trades journaled, you go make dey among that 10%.

dkidd:
I always laugh when I come across people like u. Leave the Op he's an attention seeker. Anybody that tells u G money is easy as drinking water is a big liar. It has it's seasons like every other hustle. High times and low times. u fit even use all ur funds buy tools nothing u go see except those doing juju dating maybe its easy because of plus but normal street no be smooth free money bro. You work when others are sleeping ur eyes and brain will be frozen, Sometimes ur eyesight suffers terribly due to constantly focusing on computer screen for longer hours, sometimes when u lack sleep for days ur mind starts messing with u, I done do 4 days straight no sleep, no real food just weed and coffee plus finger snacks and no sleeping except maybe some few naps. On the fifth day I siddon for system I started hearing voices like 1m voices at once saying nothing, from whispering to shouting. I had to shut down system and sleep before I run mad them go say na jazz backfire. Who dey do real street minus plus and never hear those voices never start yet

No cappings at all... I fit relate my gee, I did 6 days, cos i really needed money to celebrate my 23rd birthday. Omo i bomb for 6 days straight without sleeping, just my weeds and whiskey all through.

On a Tuesday morning, I just begin dey hallucinate brr. I had to slow down and get some sleeps.

emperor4love:
Even all this fx traders and crypto guys are low key money launders and gee guy, some no go fit read chart talk of technical analysis before hitting trade

Technical analysis isn't the only way to trade fx my gee. Fundamental analysis is available too. Wouldn't argue with you about the money laundering ish though.

Uchenna10:
Which update boss?

I tried celeb,they keep bursting the FB pages I opened....even tried normal dating,I get no replies...it's frustrating tho.

Honestly my gee, I've stopped hustling for a long time now..... But if you really want to hustle brr, try Bdsm, hookup and Gay bombing.

Bomb instagram, tiktok, snapchat brr, and you go see clients well. And if you get money, try paid sites too.

Openair:
Boss, you are the one who suggested Crypto and Forex. Now, someone has shown interest, the next thing you have to say is "can you pay for it" 😅
Why didn't you talk about payment while you were suggesting...some of us shaa

Are you sure you read through my comment? Cos if you did, you wouldn't have said this. Clearly, you have some problems comprehending something.

Damnnnn

Real niggas

Damnnnn

Isreal never get Iran time.... If their time come, them go collect accordingly.

Damnnn

He built babylon ny himself, no other power was included.

Damnnn

He's envious and jealous of Davido. That's the summary of his ranting.

Damnnn

Allow them run into their doom... If they feel belonging to a cult would give them prestige and fake bravado, they should go on.

At least when one of them die, this world is one nuisance less.

Damnnn

Why not just secure a land and start farming on it? You can also rear tilapia fish if you want.

You need to be innovative if you can't survive this present hardship.

rottennaija:
Saddam was foolish for doing that. And he did it in the interest of Israel and US (who supported him via weapons etc). Iran still won the war. What did US and Israel did to Iraq and Saddam later?

Be properly informed....isreal supplied weapons to iran actually.

Damnnn

Wike the wiked will fight bloody just to retain that structure.

Damnnn

Iran cried when saddam hussein attacked them, now they are attacking idreal.

Damnnn

Lies.....places like Victoria Island and Ikoyi don't usually have enough power supply.

Ikorodu is the only place in lagos that can boast of 22 hours supply of electricity in Lagos.

Damnnn

Even their Allah dey confuse about wetin e want.

Damnnn

Which kind evil food be this?

Damnnn

It was very obvious

Damnnnn

Fake news everywhere

Damnnn

When are we going to get it right in this corntree? Imagine this crap wey this last lady dey yarn

Damnnnn

And the druggie dey busy dey ask how hunger take manage reach this level, asive no be him cause am.