BEIJING — The ex-coach of the Chinese men’s national soccer team has been handed a 20-year prison sentence for involvement in bribery activities, as reported by Chinese state media on Friday.

Li Tie, who achieved recognition as a midfielder during his time in the English Premier League with Everton, was convicted by a court in Xianning, located in Hubei province. The court found that he had “leveraged his positions” to accept bribes exceeding 50 million yuan (roughly $7 million) while serving as the head coach of both the national football team and the national selection team.

Li was at the helm of the Chinese men’s team from January 2020 until December 2021 and faced additional charges for accepting bribes from 2015 to 2019 during his tenure with various local football clubs.

The inquiry into Li’s actions commenced in November 2022, and he admitted his guilt regarding bribery and corruption in March of this year.

His professional career in England spanned from 2002 to 2008, where he played for Everton and Sheffield United, respectively.

Li’s sentencing marks the most recent event in a string of notable corruption scandals within Chinese football. Earlier this year, in March, Chen Xuyuan, the former president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), received a life sentence for bribery offenses. Moreover, just days ago, three additional officials from the CFA were sentenced to prison for similar corruption charges, according to state media reports.