Former Premier League player jailed for 20 years for match-fixing
The former Everton player pleaded guilty to taking $16m in bribes.
UK.- The former Everton player Li Tie has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in China for match-fixing. He had pleaded guilty in March to taking bribes totalling more than $16m to rig outcomes. He also admitted to offering bribes.
Li managed China’s national team and played for China 92 times, including at the 2002 World Cup. He joined Everton on loan in 2002 and became permanent the next year, making 40 appearances in all. He also did a stint at Sheffield United before going back to China.
The court said the match-fixing offences dated back to Li’s time as assistant coach at the now-defunct Hebei China Fortune Club, which used to play in the Chinese Super League. Li worked at the club from 2015 until 2021. Li admitted to accepting bribes to select certain players and to help certain clubs win competitions.
Sweden to join Macolin Convention on sports integrity
Meanwhile, Sweden has confirmed that it will proceed with plans to ratify the Macolin Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions. It will be the thirteenth European Union country to do so, after Belgium, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine.
Some 39 European states and three non-EU countries, Australia, Morocco and Russia, have signed the convention, which, to date, is the only international legal framework on match-fixing and sports manipulation.
The Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has welcomed the government’s decision. It says the move will enhance the country’s work against match-fixing.
