Jun-Ho Son has been banned for life in China for serious tampering allegations. The international, who has returned to his native South Korea, has now also been released by his club Suwon FC
It was a tremor that went through Chinese soccer on September 10: The Chinese Football Association banned a total of 43 players and officials from soccer activities for life for illegal gambling and match-fixing. In addition to China’s national player Jin Jingdao, Jun-Ho Son was also affected.
The 20-time South Korean international, who played for Shandong Taishan in the Chinese Super League between January 2021 and summer 2023, was involved in corruption and match-fixing during this period, according to an official statement from the association – which the 32-year-old vehemently contradicted in front of Korean media shortly afterwards.
Chinese authorities allegedly blackmailed Son
The midfielder tearfully reported “ridiculous accusations”. His arrest had been an “overwhelming shock” and he had only confessed because he had been coerced into doing so through blackmailing interrogation methods. He was threatened that his wife would also be arrested and taken to the same detention center if he did not admit to the allegations.
These explanations did not help Son: his current employer Suwon FC in his native South Korea announced the termination of his contract with the 2022 World Cup participant on Friday – also at the player’s request. The club posted on Instagram that, after careful consideration, they had decided to “honor Son’s request to terminate his contract”, which was in the best interests of the club. Sporting director Choi Soon-ho explained the decision, saying that it would be disrespectful to the fans to keep Son under these circumstances
Suwon’s case became too big
According to Choi, it was initially considered appropriate to keep Son. However, the case had become too big, so it was appropriate to terminate the employment relationship. According to the Yonhap news agency, the press conference in Suwon left the public with more questions than answers, which also had a negative impact on public perception of the player.
Son spent around ten months in prison in the People’s Republic during the investigation and was released in March of this year. According to the Yonhap news agency, the Chinese association forwarded the results of the investigation to FIFA. Should the world football association follow the Chinese verdict and ban him internationally, it would be the end of Son’s career. Son’s agent had not assumed on Wednesday that his client would face sanctions from FIFA, as China had not provided any evidence of misconduct.
