High court dismisses Li Tie's 20-year sentence appeal

The Hubei High People's Court on Wednesday upheld the 20-year sentence handed down to Li Tie, former head coach of the Chinese national men's soccer team who offered and accepted bribes.

Li, 47, a native of Liaoning province, was a professional soccer player who transitioned to coaching after retiring in 2012. He was placed under investigation for suspected corruption in late 2022, which quickly attracted widespread public attention.

In March 2024, Li pleaded guilty to bribery offenses when the Xianning Intermediate People's Court in Hubei heard the case.

During the trial, evidence provided by prosecutors not only proved how Li offered bribes to people who helped him become head of the national men's soccer team and head of the selection panel, but also proved how he accepted bribes after using his positions to benefit others, as well as engaging in bribe-taking and bribe-giving by using soccer clubs to cooperate in match-fixing.

In December that year, the intermediate court sentenced Li to 20 years in prison for bribery-related crimes, without disclosing specifics about the amount of bribes he offered and received. Li appealed to the high court.

The high court accepted his appeal and following a review of the case, announced a ruling to dismiss the appeal and uphold the original verdict.