Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week: former Premier League footballer jailed for match-fixing, Veikkaus pens Finnish Ice Hockey Association extension and Zeal reaches 25-year milestone.
Former Premier League footballer faces 20 years in jail
A former Chinese footballer who played in the English Premier League for Everton has been jailed for 20 years for match-fixing.
Li Tie, who also managed China’s national team, pleaded guilty in March to taking over $16.0 million (£12.7 million/€15.2 million) in bribes. The BBC reports that Li also admitted to both accepting and offering bribes.
The court said the offences occurred while Li was an assistant coach at the Hebei China Fortune Club, which previously played in the Chinese Super League but was declared defunct last year. Li worked for the club from 2015 until 2021, when he quit as national coach.
Li would accept bribes to select certain play..