Former South Korean Soccer Player Son Jun-ho Arrested in China on Bribery Charges

Chinese authorities said Son Jun-ho (31), a former South Korean men’s soccer team member, was arrested and detained for bribery charges and is under investigation.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Son, who is active in the Chinese professional league, is being held in criminal custody by the Public Security Bureau of the northeastern province of Liaoning.

Korean local media reported that Son was arrested at Shanghai Airport on the 12th (local time).

The news of Son’s detention came amid a widespread crackdown on corruption and match fixing in the soccer world in China.

In the past three months, Chinese authorities have arrested at least four football players for illegal activities.

‘Yonhap News,’ citing sources, reported that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs was scheduled to meet Son “to find out exactly what charges he was arrested on.”

The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the local mission was providing Son with necessary consular assistance, but declined to comment in detail.

Son, who participated in 20 international A matches as a member of the Korean national soccer team, including the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, transferred to Shandong Taishan FC in 2021 and is active as a midfielder.

The year Son transferred, Shandong Taishan also won the Chinese Super League (the first division of China’s professional soccer league). Foreign colleagues belonging to the same team include midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who transferred via English Premier League ‘Everton FC’ and ‘Manchester United’.

An official from the Korea Football Association said that they did not receive any reply even though they requested an explanation from the Shandong Taishan club.

Meanwhile, the Chinese football world has long been embroiled in suspicions of bribery and match-fixing. The recent detention of key soccer players has shaken China’s ambitions to become a soccer powerhouse.

In February, when football stadiums reopened with the end of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Chen Shuyuan, president of the Chinese Football Association, was detained on charges of “violating strict discipline and the law.”

Even before Chairman Chun, there were three more football figures investigated by Chinese authorities in the past three months.

In November of last year, one of China’s most famous soccer players and former head coach of the men’s national soccer team, Litian, was investigated by prosecutors for “serious violations of the law.”

Meanwhile, the Korean soccer world is also in a mess with match fixing. Last month, the Korea Football Association’s board of directors decided to pardon 100 football players who were disciplined for various misconduct, including participation in match-fixing in professional football.

However, as criticism surged, the pardon was eventually withdrawn, and all the directors of the Korea Football Association took responsibility and decided to resign en masse.