Released Son Jun-ho’s detention extended… Aftermath of indictment of Chinese Football Association president
There is news that Son Jun-ho (31) has become an independent soccer player whose contract with Shandong Taishan of the Chinese Super League has been terminated and is being detained and investigated longer than expected.
Chinese news media ‘Tian Tian Kandian’ reported on September 28, “Chen Xuyuan (67), head of the Chinese Football Association, was indicted. “Son Jun-ho was unable to be rescued by South Korea, and his detention period was extended (than initially planned),” the report said.
Son Jun-ho has been investigated for bribery by Liaoning Province public security (police) since May 12. On June 18, a warrant requested by China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate was issued, and his status was converted to a criminal suspect.
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.
However, Tian Tian Kandian “underestimated China’s determination. “This is why Korea is embarrassed when it is revealed that Chen Xuyuan has been handed over to a criminal trial,” he pointed out. Son Jun-ho was the first foreign soccer player to be subject to mandatory investigation after the launch of China’s National Supervisory Commission.
This means that it is being treated as an issue at the central government level, beyond the local government level in China. 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.
The indictment of Chen Xuyuan is the result of even the Chinese Communist Party’s Discipline Committee working to eradicate corruption in the soccer industry. The tycoon, who served as the head of the Shanghai International Port Group (Shanggang) from 2005 to 2019 and served as president of the Football Association for five years, was also involved.
Shanghai is one of the world’s four largest port cities. 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.
Chen Xuyuan became the president of the Chinese Football Association in 2019 based on his experience as the owner of the Shanghai SIPG team. The fact that such a person is facing a criminal trial gives an idea of the local atmosphere in which the Chinese Super League is considered a target for eliminating corruption.
‘Tian Tian Kandian’ said, “Son Jun-ho was released at the end of the first half of the 2023 Chinese Super League. He also said, “He has been released as a free agent since July, but because he is under detention, it is virtually impossible to find a new team right away.”
Shandong Taishan removed posters installed to promote Son Jun-ho to visitors to its home stadium in June this year. A photo of the inside of the locker room was also removed to let colleagues know that it was Son Jun-ho’s locker.메이저사이트
Son Jun-ho played well as a defensive/central midfielder in Shandong with 4 goals, 4 assists, and 0.40 attack points per 90 minutes in 21 games in the 2021 Chinese Super League. If the year-end awards ceremony had not been canceled due to COVID-19, the MVP was likely to be announced.
As soon as 2022, Shandong renewed Son Jun-ho’s contract until the 2025 season. A one-year extension option was also included. When English professional soccer teams such as Southampton and Fulham considered recruiting him, they responded quickly to ensure his retention.
Even during his Korean professional soccer days, Son Jun-ho shone as the K League 1 assist king (2017) and MVP (2020). He is also one of two Chinese Super League players named in the final list of 32 countries for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.
However, his relationship with Shandong Taishan was forced to end after he played only 7 games, including the cup competition, in the second season of his renewed contract. If the club had released him on the basis of an official indictment by Chinese public security, it is unclear whether he would be able to receive the remaining annual salary.