As a well-known figure in the Chinese football industry, Li Tie's behavior not only violates professional ethics and ethical norms, but also undermines the image and future development of Chinese football. His actions not only harmed the interests of other players and coaches, but also hurt the credibility and reputation of Chinese football.
This kind of corruption is not unique in Chinese football. In recent years, Chinese football has been plagued by various scandals. From player transfers, to coach selection, to match results, and more, there are situations of injustice and opacity. This has not only led to chaos and disorderly competition in the football circle, but also made people full of worries about the future development of Chinese football.
In the recent CCTV annual anti-corruption feature film "Continue to Make Efforts and Advance in Depth", former Chinese men's football coach Li Tie confessed a shocking thing. He said he paid almost 400,000 euros in January 2020 in exchange for his position as national team coach. The news quickly attracted the attention of the well-known French media "Team Newspaper", which retold Li Tie's original words in the documentary in detail in the article.
In order to succeed in taking Lippi's place, Li Tie made a request to his old club, Wuhan Zall Club, to negotiate with the Chinese Football Association (CFA) on his behalf. This means that Li Tie has made some kind of deal with the Chinese Football Association through Wuhan Zall Club as an intermediary. This kind of behavior has undoubtedly seriously undermined the principle of fair competition in Chinese football, and has also raised questions about the governance structure and regulatory mechanism of Chinese football.
This is an extremely sensitive and embarrassing topic for Chinese football. In recent years, Chinese football has been trying to improve its international status and image, but the continuous scandals and shady scenes have greatly reduced people's trust in the industry. From player transfers, to coach selection, to match results, and more, there are situations of injustice and opacity. These corrupt practices not only harm the interests of other players and coaches, but also damage the credibility and reputation of Chinese football.
In addition to paying nearly 400,000 euros in exchange for a national team coaching seat, Li Tie also promised that once he was appointed, he would give Zall Club a handsome reward. This commitment is clearly built on a dirty deal that completely undermines football's principle of fair play.
In this context, Zall Club took a risk, and in order to Li Tie's ascension, they paid a bribe of 2 million yuan (about 255,000 euros) to the then chairman of the Chinese Football Association. This kind of bribery is not only a stain on football matches, but also a serious damage to the credibility and reputation of the Chinese Football Association. Not only that, Li Tie also claimed that he had paid 1 million yuan (about 128,000 euros) to the secretary general of the Chinese Football Association out of his own pocket to ensure that he could replace Lippi's position. This kind of behavior of putting personal interests first is undoubtedly a great harm to Chinese football.
After getting his wish to sit in the national football coach, Li Tie began to set up his own national team lineup. He paid special attention to the Wuhan Zall Club, which he had a close relationship with, and gathered four players from the club to participate in the national team's training camp.
These four players are regarded as Li Tie's "descendants" in the national team, they may not be at the top level in terms of technology, but they were called into the national team because of their special relationship with Li Tie. This practice clearly violates the principle of fair play in football, undermines the selection mechanism of the national team, and causes unfair treatment of other players with potential and strength.
According to the president of Zall FC, the club president admitted in the documentary that the four internationals were actually "not eligible for the national team at all". They did not win the opportunity to be selected by virtue of their strength and performance, but because of their relationship with Li Tie. This unfair selection not only damages the overall strength of the national team, but also makes people full of worries about the future development of Chinese football.
"Team Daily" bluntly pointed out in the report that Li Tie's incident is not just a case, but exposes the seriousness of the corruption problem within the Chinese Football Association. This kind of corruption has been a long-standing phenomenon in Chinese football, leading to a series of problems such as unfair distribution of resources, distorted match results, and brain drain.
As the most populous country in the world, China has huge football potential. However, over the years, the performance of Chinese football in domestic and foreign arenas has been unsatisfactory. One of the main reasons for this is mismanagement and corruption. Corruption deprives outstanding players and coaches of the opportunities and resources they deserve, undermining the healthy development of the football ecosystem.
Chinese football has invested a lot of money and resources in the past few decades in order to enhance its status in international football. However, despite the increasing investment, the performance of the national football team has not improved significantly, but has shown a trend of getting worse and worse. The high annual investment has not brought corresponding returns to the national football team, but has become a huge burden. This situation has left many Chinese fans and citizens disappointed and angry, and the gap between their expectations of the national football team and the reality has become even stronger.
When Lippi took over the Chinese national team in 2016, he had actually rejected invitations from the Chinese Football Association many times. He is well aware that although he has led the Italian national team to win the World Cup and led Juventus to the Champions League, it will not be easy to take Chinese football to a new level. Despite showing some bright spots and improvements in the early days of taking over, Chinese football has not been able to rise to a higher level as expected. Lippi said frankly in an interview: "There are many things in Chinese football that the head coach can control, and there are too many interferences. ”
Lippi has a pivotal position in the Chinese football world. He admits that he makes a lot of money in China, but he doesn't want to come just to make money. Therefore, when Chinese football faced difficulties, he chose to resign as head coach.
Regarding Li Tie's matter, Lippi also expressed his opinion. He admitted that Li Tie was one of his important disciples in the Chinese football world, and it was his recommendation and guidance that enabled Li Tie to gradually grow in the coaching position. Regarding the current predicament facing Li Tie, Lippi expressed surprise and regret.
Lippi believes that Chinese football players earn too much at the club, causing them to lose their sense of collective pride. They would rather play for the club for a high salary than for the glory of the national team. Because once injured in the national team, their salary at the club may be affected. This mentality is prevalent among players, making them lack motivation and enthusiasm in the national team game.
Lippi also pointed out that the lack of collective pride on the pitch is not just due to salary issues. The lack of fighting spirit, fighting spirit and team spirit of the players in the game is also an important reason. Neither encouraging them nor admonishing them during the game seems to have much effect. Because the players have become accustomed to a comfortable and comfortable environment, their mentality has become insensitive.
Finally, Lippi expressed the hope that the renovation of Chinese football this time can bring a new look. He hopes that the players will strengthen their sense of collective pride, give their all on the pitch, and never give up a single ball or a minute. Only in this way can Chinese football truly rise and emerge in the international football arena.