WUHAN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The former head coach of China's national men's football team and star footballer Li Tie was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison for giving and receiving bribes.

The sentence was handed down by the Intermediate People's Court of Xianning in Hubei Province, central China.

The former head coach and Everton player, born in 1977, was placed under investigation in November 2022 and stood trial in March this year.

According to the indictment, from 2019 to 2021, Li, leveraging his positions as the head coach of both the national team and the national selection team, assisted relevant organizations and individuals in matters such as player selection for the national team, match outcomes, and signing contracts with clubs. He illegally received more than 50.89 million yuan (about 7 million U.S. dollars) in total during this period.

He was also charged with multiple bribery offenses committed from 2015 to 2019 when he worked for local football clubs.

One of the best-known Chinese midfielders during his playing career, Li earned 93 caps for the national team -- including three at the 2002 World Cup -- and had a stint at the English Premier League side Everton.

He was head coach of the Chinese national team from January 2020 to December 2021.

Also on Friday, Du Zhaocai, former deputy head of the General Administration of Sport of China as well as former Party chief and vice-president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), was sentenced by the Intermediate People's Court of Wuhan in Hubei Province. He received a 14-year prison term for taking bribes.

From 2012 to 2022, Du took advantage of his various positions to assist others in matters such as tournament hosting, personnel arrangements and player transfers, accepting 43.41 million yuan in return, according to the indictment.

Du's sentencing represents the latest development in the sweeping anti-corruption campaign within China's football sector, which began with the investigation into Li in late 2022.

Earlier this week, courts in Hubei handed down sentences to three other former CFA officials after convicting them of bribery. Enditem

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