Former Sheffield United, Everton man 'facing jail sentence' after bombshell bribery, match-fixing confession

Former Sheffield United and Everton midfielder Li Tie could face jail in his native China after confessing to bribery and match-fixing during his time in management. The 92-cap China legend, who played for his country at the World Cup in 2002, joined United from Everton in 2006 but made only one appearance for the Blades.

Li, who later became head coach of the Chinese national team after moving into management, was charged with bribery last year after being accused of "serious violations of the law". Chinese media had previously reported that Li, who arrived in English football with Everton before moving to Bramall Lane, was cooperating with the inquiry after being arrested before he was reportedly transferred to a detention centre.

Earlier this week, the 46-year-old appeared in a state-backed documentary in China where he admitted to match-fixing. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s administration has pledged to crack down on bribe-taking and corruption, with more than a dozen officials of the Chinese Football Association investigated or charged as part of the investigation. The Xi administration has in the past been accused of using the tactic of public confessions, as a bid to intimidate others.

Eight victories in nine games from Li's debut season in charge saw Hebei China Fortune promoted to the Chinese Super League, before he also led Whuan Zall FC to promotion in 2018. But Luo Chuan, from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in China, said in the documentary that both promotions were the result of bribery and match-fixing.

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"I'm very sorry. I should have kept my head to the ground and followed the right path," Li told the documentary. "There were certain things that at the time were common practices in football. By gaining 'success' through such improper means, it actually made me more and more impatient and eager for quick results. In order to achieve good performance, I resorted to influencing referees, bribing opposing players and coaches, sometimes through clubs dealing with other clubs. This behaviour becomes a habit, and eventually, there is even a slight dependence on these practices.”

The South China Morning Post reported that in the final match of the 2015 season alone, Hebei China Fortune spent 14 million yuan - over £1.5m at current exchange rates - bribing opponents Shenzhen FC's managers and players, Hebei's then-president Meng Jing said in the documentary. The programme also claimed that a two million yuan payment to the Chinese FA president got Li the job of China's head coach, and that he then signed a 60 million yuan deal with Wuhan Zall in exchange for selecting four players for international appearances who, it was claimed, were not good enough to play for the national team.