Chinese court sentences Li Tie to 20 years

If he did that here, he'd be a politician!

He's been sentenced to 20 years in prison for taking bribes while managing the Chinese national team and the Chinese Super League clubs Hebei China Fortune and Wuhan Zall. (I went to one of their games with my late father-in-law.)

It wasn't chump change either. Li pocketed ¥120M (£12M) to select certain players for the national team, fix league matches and arrange for his clubs to sign players.

He was arrested in November 2022 and wasn't heard from again until he pleaded guilty to bribery and corruption in March. In January, he apologized for his conduct in an anti-corruption documentary aired by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

"I'm very sorry. I should have kept my head to the ground and followed the right path," Li said. "There were certain things that at the time were common practices in football."

What's your confidence that this is genuine foul play on Li Tie's part, and that he hasn't been set up as the prime scapegoat, tortured until he gave a false confession, before being 'banged to rights', as we say on this side of the pond?

I would have thought the admission was genuine except it's China, it's Li, a high-profile Chinese player in the English Premier League no less.

A perfect example for authorities to showcase bribery accusations with foreign links: tall poppy, high profile, show trial. As you infer, admission and truth are not the same – especially where political capital is involved.

When I lived there, if you wanted to start a business, paying off a local official was a routine part of the deal. It was right out there, no secrecy. But since Xi came to power, China has imprisoned literally millions of government officials and even executed a few hundred for corruption. Even top Communist Party and military officers have gone down, which never happened before.

Also, Li Tie is by no means the prime scapegoat. Several top officials of the Chinese national football association, who were much higher on the pyramid than Li, have already gone to prison. And this is a massive scandal -- during Covid, when nobody was watching, 128 league matches involving 41 clubs were fixed. 38 players, including internationals, were already banned. Everybody was doing it. Chinese soccer, which Xi made a point of personal pride, has pretty much collapsed under the corruption.

Obviously there's nothing like due process in the Chinese "justice" system, and there are no public trials where the evidence is shown to the world. But in my humble opinion there is, sadly, no reason to believe that Li has been falsely accused.

That provides a lot more credence.

Jokes aside, this is really sad to hear. He was a really neat and tidy player when he first came in until he got a few injuries. Hope his sentence is reduced.

How many ex-Blues have criminal convictions? Big Dunc, Mark Ward etc.

On his release, after serving 10 weeks, he was banned from football for life by the Football Association — though the ban was rescinded 7 years later.

If only that was happening in the West eh?

Hi Mike, like yourself I lived in Wuhan – and later Shanghai, though my job took me to dozens of Chinese cities. I'd say on the face of it, it looked like Jinping was coming down hard on corruption, which he was, but he was also using it as a tool to get rid of his rivals and competitors in the Communist Party – and this has a running theme in Chinese history I believe. He also made himself President for life, banned Pooh Bear and criminalised porn – so, basically criminalising the whole male population. That way – if they have a problem with you, you've always done something wrong.

From what I witnessed, and from what I heard, China is still very corrupt – it just depends who you upset in power. I also lived in Hong Kong and I am so sad to see what has happened there. So yes, it looks like Li Tie was guilty – but who knows who he upset – especially given that sentence.

Eric Myles @18,

I lived in both Hanoi and Saigon – Vietnam is corrupt in a much more open way than China. Just go out on your motorbike near a national holiday when the police are out in force fining everyone for the most minor infractions to boost their holiday funds!

There was an unveiling by Everton of a new headstone on his grave a few years ago now.

I live in Ha Noi now and use the excellent public bus service, so not a problem.

I lived in Chiang Mai for a short while – and yes, Thailand is quite bad for this too.

The bus service in Hanoi must have improved since I was there. In fact, I think it is probably quite a different place now. I always preferred the south though.

I have heard some dodgy things happening with football in Vietnam too. China, Vietnam and Thailand – a lot of betting issues out there!

Sounds like you had a great job to take you all those places. We visited many as tourists and hikers. What a gorgeous country. How sick and sad what's happened to it. Especially, as you say, Hong Kong.

I was over in Jiangxia in Wuhan, not the easiest place to live to be fair - off the beaten track. I used to book a hotel in the centre about once a month just for some civilised living - would often pop into the Belgium bar Brussels Beer Garden run by a nice Belgium chap called Dave if I remember correctly.

In Shanghai I was in a flat overlooking the old Shanghai train station - not too far from where you were I guess.

I got to travel a lot to places like Qing Dao, Dalian, Hefei, Suzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Hangzhou etc. That said, because I was working I didn't see a huge amount of the cities at times.

I was in Hong Kong during the umbrella revolution - was there for over 4 years - one of my favourite places and truly unique.

Sounds like you had a pretty terrific job to take you all those places -- hope you got to enjoy them a bit at least. Hangzhou was our favorite city to visit. I walked the lake loop almost every day. Admiring the scenery. ;-)

Yes, they did do good food in the Brussels bar - decent beer too. Funny, I am actually a big fan of Brussels anyway!

The job was going well, then covid hit, couldn't get back in and the rest is history! Funny, I don't have many recollections of Hangzhou, I may have been on the outskirts of the city. Back in the UK now - planning my next escape as things really have gone weird here and it is so expensive these days!

Barry #23, I've always thought the bus service in Ha Noi excellent, I used it when I lived by the Daewoo to get to the Spotted Cow at Hoan Kiem 24 years ago.

And yes it's improved, mostly all new electric buses these days, but of course fares have increased, fixed fare of Dong 8,000 now (25p), and traffic has increased.

So having been there previously for 2 years is why I prefer Ha Noi, not having lived in Ho Chi Minh City, only visited. Gets cold in the winter though so we escape for 3 months back to Thailand, not Chiang Mai though, that would be going from the 'fridge to the freezer!

I was in Hanoi between 2009 and 2011 and I used to get the bus up to the out of town Big C - it was cheap - but I never thought excellent - probably because I had been spoilt in Japan. I first lived by the ethnicity museum - overlooking it in fact and had a motorbike - which I eventually got rid of, then I was up by West Lake on Xuan Dieu - but I always much preferred the south for several reasons.

I believe it has all been developed much more since then. It was always seemingly more communist in the north - do you still have to leave the bars whilst the owner pays the police off - only to return later and be let in through the back door?

Elon Musk, and all that power that comes with being a friend of the president of the United States, is going to start turning the heat up on the legacy media, and start pushing the era of divisiveness, which I seems to be growing all the time.

Where there is money, there will always be corruption, and with the EPL, being the richest and most popular football league in the world, then I’m certain there will be quite a few people who are at it in this country, as well.

I think we are already at that point in many ways.

Taking sides and polarising is exactly the problem!

A two-party state is only 1 party better than a dictatorship – especially when they are all drinking from the same filthy money trough!

I prefer shades of grey – except for an away kit.

Never an 'ism' or 'ist' be – as soon as you are, you are limiting your thoughts in my humble opinion!

Even taking all the politics out - a bit of sun would be nice and makes a world of difference!

No, never experienced that in my time in Ha Noi. The bars are 'mostly' required to shut at 23:00 but can get "special permission" to open later for things like the Football World Cup or the Rugby World Cup.

Apocalypse Now and New Century are now long gone, as are the motocy cruisers around the Hilton, and that great nightclub and Intimex supermarket that were at Hoan Kiem Lake, it's a 4 star hotel now. Fortuna is still going strong though ;-)

And Beer Corner is an overpriced loud tourist trap these days.

Apocalypse Now was already gone when I got there in 2007, was New Century the bar on the Waterfront? Beer Corner was plastic seats, cheap beer and never too touristy when I was there. Hey ho.

One of the best curry houses I have been to was in Hanoi - The weirdly named Food Shop 45! Is that still there?

Seriously the country, I most want to visit before I die, (I’d genuinely love to go to every single country, on the planet) is Vietnam, so hopefully you and Eric, can give me some advice while I get saving!

I might be back over there next year - so, I could show you around if that was the case!

No worries mate!

Beer Hoi Corner has now become Drinking Street, when I was first there it was chim bồ câu and thịt chó restaurants and only locals and a few foreigner English teachers, now look at it :-( Avoid!

Drinking Street

Never heard of Food Shop 45 but now I have I'll definitely try it out, they seem to be going strong. Food Shop 45

My favourite restaurant was Pacific at Ngoc Khang Lake, just near the Daewoo, great food and brewed their own beer hoi. Sadly no longer there. The tea shops around that lake were great too, 150 different types of tea! I stuck to beer though.

Tony A, I'll be back in Ha Noi from April next year and am usually there except November through January as it's too cold. February is still cold mind but it's Tết and I go back to see the family. Be happy to show you round any time, or give you some tips on where to go.

yes Eric - that place in unrecognisable now. In Asia, when an area develops it is done so quickly that you can go back a year or two later looking for your favourite place - only to left wondering what you are looking at! When I was there - the restaurants were good, but there wasn't a lot in terms of nightlife - The R'n'R, if I recall, Buddhas Bar and a few others. I was working on Cat Linh - there was a great Czech Beer place there and some good street food, but I always preferred the south - especially the weather!

The Czech bar I know is Hoa Vien but is in Hai Ba Trung area, still there and my favourite beer in both Ha Noi and their HCMC place.

I'll be in the HCMC pub in a week from now!

Cheers for the info, Eric, it has been a while since I last visited Hanoi – over 10 years ago I think. I know a lot of ex-pats stayed there and settled, but I have the wanderlust to this day and I think it will never go away!

Let's just tonk the Mancunians on Thursday and start again...