サッカー中国代表の元監督、就任のため賄賂渡したと告白

【北京ＡＦＰ＝時事】サッカー元中国代表監督の李鉄氏が、その座を確保するために数千万円の賄賂を渡したことや、八百長への関与をテレビのインタビューで明かした。同国サッカー界は汚職の取り締まりが厳しく行われており、多くの指導者的立場の人物が捜査されたり、起訴されたりしている。（写真はサッカー元中国代表監督の李鉄氏）
　イングランド・プレミアリーグのエバートンで活躍し、代表監督も務めた李氏は２０２２年に捜査対象となり、「重大な法律、規律違反の疑い」の疑いで当局から告発された。
　９日夜に国営中国中央テレビ（ＣＣＴＶ）で放送された反汚職ドキュメンタリーの中で李氏が告白するまで、この汚職事件に関する詳細な情報は明らかになっていなかった。
　番組の中で李氏は、代表監督の座を手にするため約３００万元（約６０００万円）の賄賂を手配し、当時指揮していたスーパーリーグ（１部）の武漢卓爾（現在は解散）では八百長に加担していたと話した。
　李氏は「非常に申し訳ない。正しい道を進むべきだった。当時のサッカー界では一般的な慣習であることがいくつかあった」と述べた。
　李氏は当時指揮官を務めていた武漢卓爾に対し、自身に代わって中国サッカー協会（ＣＦＡ）への介入を要請し、その恩返しを約束したという。クラブは、当時のＣＦＡ会長でこちらも汚職捜査の対象となっている陳戌源に約２００万元（約４０００万円）の賄賂を渡し、李氏自身もＣＦＡの事務局長に自腹で約１００万元（約２０００万円）を渡したという。
　李氏の代表監督就任後、武漢卓爾の４選手が招集を受けたが、ドキュメンタリーの中でインタビューに応じたクラブの元会長は、代表レベルでプレーできる選手たちではなかったと述べた。
　中国代表は最終的に２０２２年Ｗ杯カタール大会の出場権を逃し、李氏は２０２１年に辞任している。
　当局は２０２２年の年末に李氏に対する捜査を開始。その後、陳元会長を含むＣＦＡ幹部ら約１０人が失脚している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/01/11-16:06）

The former Chinese national football team coach has made a televised confession in which he admitted to paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to secure the top job, as well as involvement in match-fixing.
Chinese football has been in the grip of a major anti-corruption campaign that has seen numerous leading figures investigated or charged.
Li Tie, a former Everton midfielder who served as the national team's head coach, was placed under investigation in 2022, accused by authorities of serious violations of the law.
No detailed information on the case has been available until his confession on Tuesday night, part of an anti-graft documentary aired on state broadcaster CCTV.
CCTV regularly airs confessions by criminal suspects, including former officials, before they have appeared in court -- a practice widely condemned by rights groups.
In the programme, Li said he had arranged nearly $421,000 in bribes to secure the head coach position -- and to have helped fix matches when he was a club coach.
I'm very sorry. I should have kept my head to the ground and followed the right path, the 46-year-old said.
There were certain things that at the time were common practices in football, he added.
- Paying for the job -
When he took the national coach job in January 2020, Li declared he had achieved one of his biggest dreams.
But Tuesday's documentary painted a less wholesome picture.
It said Li had asked Wuhan Zall Football Club -- where he then worked as coach -- to intervene on his behalf with the Chinese Football Association (CFA), promising to return the favour.
The club paid two million yuan ($281,000) in bribes to Chen Xuyuan, then president of the CFA and now also subject to a corruption investigation.
Li also said he gave one million yuan from his own pocket to the secretary-general of the CFA.
Following his appointment, four Wuhan Zall footballers were appointed to the national team -- players who were not qualified to play at that level, according to the club president, who was interviewed in the documentary.
China eventually failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, leading to Li quitting in 2021.
The national anti-corruption agency launched an investigation into him at the end of 2022.
Around 10 senior leaders and executives of the CFA have also been brought down since, including former president Chen.
Chen was indicted in September for corruption, confessing in the TV documentary to having accepted large sums from those wishing to get in his good graces.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has described himself as a football fan and said he dreams of China hosting and winning a World Cup one day.
But ambitions of developing the men's team into an international powerhouse have not come to fruition.