There is news that Son Jun-ho (31), a representative of the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, may be indicted by China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate. After the end of the first half of the 2023 Chinese Super League, Shandong Taishan terminated his contract, and he is currently independent.
Chinese news outlet Tian Tian Kandian reported, “With Chen Xuyuan (67), head of the Chinese Football Association, being handed over to a criminal trial, the Liaoning Provincial Public Security Office (provincial police office) is speeding up the processing of Son Jun-ho and other related parties.”
Son Jun-ho has been under investigation for bribery by the Liaoning Provincial Public Security Office since May 12. On June 18, an arrest investigation began with a warrant request from China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
Tian Tian Kandian’ said, “Sun Jun-ho is treated as one of the corruption cases in the football world, with Chen Xuyuan at the top. The Supreme People’s Procuratorate indictment is not far away. “If a criminal case is filed, he will be severely punished under Chinese law.”
China has made no official response, except for a spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming the detention of Son Jun-ho. The head of management and a lawyer dispatched by the Korea Football Association on June 1 returned to Korea on the 5th without any results.
On September 4, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea said through the National Assembly Budget and Accounts Special Committee, “We are requesting cooperation from China in the investigation without detention. “We are making efforts to protect overseas citizens so that the Son Jun-ho issue can be resolved quickly,” he said.
‘Tian Tian Kandian’ said, “Compared to the enormous amount of bribery committed by Chen Xuyuan, head of the Chinese Football Association, the scale of the charges is much smaller,” but added, “(Once it goes to trial), the punishment Son Jun-ho will receive is not light. “The Korean side is also worried about this,” he said.
Chen Xuyuan is a business and sports tycoon who served as the head of the Shanghai International Port Group (Shanggang) from 2005 to 2019 and has served as president of the Football Association for five years. SIPG was established as a state-owned and managed enterprise in 2003 and took over exclusive operating rights for all public terminals from the Shanghai Port Administration of China’s Ministry of Transport.
Shanghai International Port Group acquired Chinese Super League Shanghai Haigang, which was the main sponsor from 2013 to 2014, in 2015. From 2015 to 2020, the official name of the soccer team was ‘Shanghai SIPG’, clearly indicating who the owner was.
‘Tian Tian Kandian’ said, “The fact that Chen Xuyuan was publicly indicted shows China’s determination and strength to eradicate corruption in the soccer world. He pointed out, “It was a mistake for the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea Football Association to find ways to apply pressure, thinking they could reduce or even eliminate the charges against Son Jun-ho.”
“Chen Xuyuan was processed according to the maximum 6-month detention period for criminal suspects and was transferred to criminal trial,” said Tian Tian Kandian, adding, “The investigation into Son Jun-ho’s detention was scheduled for 2-3 months, but was extended. “The attempt to rescue Korea not only failed, but also backfired,” he explained.스포츠토토
Son Jun-ho is the first foreign soccer player to be subject to mandatory investigation since the launch of China’s National Supervision Commission. The National Supervisory Commission became a constitutional body in 2018 by absorbing the State Corruption Prevention Bureau of the State Council and the General Bureau of Corruption and Bribery of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
Even the Communist Party’s Discipline Committee is working to eliminate corruption in Chinese soccer. Tian Tian Kandian said, “The Korea Football Association is taking strict action, but K-League match-fixing is frequently discovered. “Son Jun-ho was produced by Korean professional soccer,” he said, summarizing the reason for suspicion locally.
Son Jun-ho shone as the K League 1 assist king (2017) and MVP (2020) during his time in Korean professional soccer. ‘Tian Tian Kandian’ pointed out, “You might think how a foreign player could dare to do that in unfamiliar China, but there is precedent in Korea and the K-League.”
According to Tiantian Khanseng, the Chinese investigative authorities have already found out that the K -League will be involved in the game by 1992, 1998, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2023. This includes the semi-professional (business soccer) national league and the case of K3, which was operated as an amateur.