Li, a former Everton player, was initially tried and sentenced to a 20-year fixed-term imprisonment, according to the state news agency Xinhua, who provided no further details.
The far-reaching crackdown on official corruption, initiated by President Xi Jinping over a decade ago upon assuming power, has ensnared the sports industry.
In late 2022, anti-graft authorities turned their attention to sports, and this week, they announced the convictions of several former football administrators.
Li, who served as China’s coach from January 2020 to December 2021, had previously admitted to accepting over $10 million in bribes.
The 47-year-old, a well-known former footballer in China, played as a midfielder for Everton in the Premier League.
He featured in a documentary aired by CCTV in January, exposing the pervasive corruption in Chinese football.
Li confessed in the program to paying nearly $421,000 in bribes to secure his position as head coach. He also admitted to match-fixing during his tenure as a club coach in the Chinese Super League.
“I deeply regret my actions,” said Li. “I should have remained ethical and upright, even though certain practices were commonplace in football at the time.”
