Former soccer head coach pleads guilty to bribery

Li Tie, former head coach of the Chinese national men's soccer team, pleaded guilty to bribery-related crimes at the Xianning Intermediate People's Court in Hubei province on Thursday.

Prosecutors said that from 2019 to 2021, Li took advantage of his position as head coach of the national men's soccer team and head of the national men's soccer selection panel to seek benefits for departments and individuals in matters such as player selection to the national team and match-fixing. In return, he accepted bribes worth 50.89 million yuan ($7 million).

They said that Li asked some people for help in 2019 to be selected head coach of the national men's soccer team, and then he gave those who helped him 1 million yuan in 2020.

During his tenure at Wuhan Zall Football Club in 2019, Li offered bribes of 2 million yuan through the club to those who helped him become head of the selection panel and improve the influence of the club, they added.

Prosecutors said that from 2017 to 2019, when Li served as general manager of the Wuhan club and its head coach, he provided aid for Hebei China Fortune Football Club, the club he previously worked at, in player transfers and match-fixing, and accepted 26.75 million yuan in return.

During his tenure at the two clubs from 2015 to 2019, Li asked other soccer clubs to cooperate in match-fixing, then offered them bribes of more than 39 million yuan through his clubs, they added.

During the trial, Li and his lawyers shared their opinions on the prosecutors' indictment, and Li confessed to the offenses.

The sentencing will be announced at a later date.

Li, 46, a native of Shenyang, Liaoning province, was a former professional soccer player. After retiring in 2012, he transitioned to coaching. The investigation against him was launched in 2022.