A former Premier League footballer has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars after being found guilty of corruption.
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Li Tie, former head coach of the China men's national team, has been handed a 20-year prison sentence following a lengthy trial on corruption charges, according to state media reports on Friday.
The 47-year-old, who also enjoyed a notable playing career at Everton in the Premier League, was convicted after being found guilty of accepting over $10 million (R178.1 million) in bribes.
The state-run Xinhua news agency confirmed that Li was sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of 20 years in an initial trial, although further details were not disclosed.
Li's conviction comes as part of a wider anti-corruption campaign launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has targeted corruption within government and public sectors since taking power over a decade ago. The sports industry, particularly football, has been a focus of this crackdown, with several former soccer administrators also convicted in recent days.
Li, who managed the national team from January 2020 until December 2021, admitted earlier this year to accepting illicit payments.
During a documentary aired by state broadcaster CCTV in January, Li confessed to arranging nearly $421 000 (R7.4 million) in bribes to secure his role as head coach. He also revealed his involvement in match-fixing during his time as a coach in the Chinese Super League.
"I'm very sorry," Li said in the documentary. "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."
Li, who earned almost 100 caps for China during his playing career, has become one of the most recognised figures in the country's football history.
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However, his downfall reflects the deep-seated corruption issues that have plagued Chinese soccer for years.
