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.