Son Jun-Ho played in three out of four matches for South Korea during the Qatar World Championship in December 2022, but he was arrested in China in the spring of 2023. In November the same year, he was selected for the national team, despite still being imprisoned.
There has yet to be presented any evidence of what he did wrong. We hope that the Chinese government will ensure that he is released at least before Christmas so that he can meet his family again, said the then South Korean national team captain and German football legend Jürgen Klinsmann.
Released this year
The 32-year-old Son returned to South Korea in March this year after being released, but now China is banning him from football for life in the country, according to the news agency AFP. Son is currently playing for Suwon in the South Korean top league.
An additional 42 people – including 37 football players – are receiving the same punishment for match-fixing, illegal betting, and taking bribes, according to the state news agency New China (Xinhua).
Among them is the former Chinese national team player Jin Jingdao, who like Son Jun-Ho has played for Shandong Taishan in China.
China has been cracking down hard on corruption in sports – not least football – under President Xi Jinping. About a dozen football officials in the Chinese Football Association have been accused of corruption.
Bribes of 110 million
In March, the former Everton midfielder and former Chinese national team captain Li Tie admitted to having received over 110 million kronor (10.7 million dollars) in bribes and helping to fix matches.
The same month, the former association chairman Chen Xuyuan was sentenced to life imprisonment for taking bribes.
