The Higher People's Court of Hubei Province has rejected the appeal of Li Tie, former head coach of China's national men's football team, upholding his 20-year prison sentence, CCTV News reported on Wednesday.
Li was originally sentenced in December 2024 by the Intermediate People's Court of Xianning, Hubei Province, after being found guilty on several counts, including giving and accepting bribes.
Prosecutors said that between 2019 and 2021, Li exploited his role as national team coach to influence team selections, match outcomes, and club contracts in return for over 50.89 million yuan (approximately $7 million). Additionally, he faced bribery charges for offenses committed from 2015 to 2019 while working with local football clubs, according to Xinhua.
The core issue in Li's appeal centered on whether he qualified as a state functionary. His legal team contended that he did not hold such a position and thus should not be subject to harsher penalties reserved for state officials under Chinese law. Bribery involving state functionaries carries a sentence ranging from over 10 years to life imprisonment, whereas non-state functionary bribery incurs 5 to 15 years.
If dissatisfied with the current ruling, Li can still petition the Supreme People's Court for a retrial within six months of the verdict taking effect, according to CCTV News.
Li, 47, a former Everton player, was first investigated in November 2022 and went on trial in March 2024.
Source: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202504/1333193.shtml
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