The former coach of the Chinese football team, Li Tie, detained on corruption charges, admitted this Wednesday that he paid the equivalent of approximately 400 thousand euros in January 2020 to guarantee his hiring.
During his confession shown on state television Cable TVThe 46-year-old coach also said he helped manipulate games when he was the club’s coach.
“I’m very sorry. I should have put my head down and walked the right path,” he said, admitting that “there are certain things that were common practice in football circles at the time.”
In January 2020, after replacing Italian Marcello Lippi as China coach, the former Everton player said he was realizing “one of the biggest dreams” of his life.
To achieve this, Li Tieh explained that he asked Wuhan Hall, the club he was coaching at the time, to intervene on his behalf with the Chinese Football Association (CFA), a government body that operates as a federation.
According to Li Tie, the club paid two million yuan (€255,000) as a bribe to Chen Xiuyuan, then president of the CFA.
Li Tie also claimed to have given one million yuan (€128,000) to the CFA general secretary from his own pocket.
Soon after his appointment, the coach called up four players from Wuhan Hall to the national team, who, according to the club president, “did not have the required level to be drafted.”
Li Tie failed to qualify China for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and was fired in December 2021.
The coach also admitted that he helped buy several games, which allowed Chinese second division teams to be promoted to the first division.
China’s anti-corruption agency launched an investigation into Li in late 2022, which led to the dismissal of about 10 CFA officials, including former president Chen Xiuyuan.
In September, Chen was charged with corruption after admitting to accepting large sums of money from football players who wanted to curry favor with him.
“I want to offer my sincerest apologies to all football fans in China,” he said.
These football lawsuits are part of a major anti-corruption campaign launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Chinese government has big ambitions for the national team, but it remains 79th in the FIFA rankings, the same position it held 10 years ago.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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