The South Korean side’s attempt to find out the specific situation of the Chinese public security (police) compulsory investigation of soccer team midfielder Son Jun-ho (31, Shandong Taishan) has failed.
The Japanese daily newspaper ‘Tokyo Sports’ quoted a football official and said, “China did not accept Korea’s request at all. It is no different from being barred from the doorstep.”메이저사이트
Last month, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Son Jun-ho is being detained by public security in Liaoning Province due to an investigation into bribery allegations.” The head of management headquarters and a lawyer dispatched by the Korea Football Association on June 1 returned to Korea without results on the 5th.
Son Jun-ho’s 2021 Chinese Professional Football Super League play. Photo = Shandong Taishan
According to Tokyo Sports, the agency directly in charge of the Son Jun-ho case blocked South Korean information collection. It is considered to be a public security response, not at the level of the Chinese Football Association.
Korea, ranked 27th in the world, will play home matches against Peru (21st) on the 16th and El Salvador (73rd) on the 20th. Coach Jürgen Klinsmann (59, Germany) announced a 23-man entry including Son Jun-ho.
The selection of the national team for an A-match held during the International Match Calendar period of the International Football Federation (FIFA) is compulsory that the player’s club cannot refuse. There is also the possibility of finding out the situation of Son Jun-ho through the contact process, such as the Korea Football Association sending an official letter of cooperation to Shandong.
‘Tokyo Sports’ said, “The Korea Football Association attempted to obtain information that could help us understand the content or nature of the incident in line with the convocation of the national team. However, China is not bending its hardline stance,” predicting the prolonged Son Jun-ho incident.
According to the Taiwanese newspaper ‘Zhong Guo Shi Bao’, Shandong demolished the poster installed to promote Son Jun-ho to visitors to the home stadium. A photo of the inside of the locker room was also removed to let his colleagues know that it was the locker that Son Jun-ho uses.
There was also a story that a club official responded by saying, “It brought the team into disrepute.” ‘Zhongguo Shibao’ predicted that Shandong fans should anticipate the reality that Son Jun-ho has been excluded from the squad and has no chance of returning before the official announcement.”
CNN, a news channel, explained that Son Jun-ho is being treated as the first forced investigation of a foreign soccer player after the launch of the Chinese National Supervisory Commission. In other words, it has grown from a local government level to a problem at the central government level.
In 2018, the National Supervisory Commission merged with the State Council’s National Corruption Prevention Bureau and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate’s General Administration for Corruption and Bribery to form a constitutional body. While even the Disciplinary Committee of the Chinese Communist Party has begun to eradicate corruption in the soccer world, it is analyzed that Son Jun-ho’s investigation is also part of this atmosphere.
Son Jun-ho played a big role in Shandong as a defensive/central midfielder in the 2021 Chinese Super League (1st division) with 4 points, 4 assists and 0.40 attack points per 90 minutes in 21 games. If the year-end awards ceremony had not been canceled in the aftermath of Corona 19, MVP would have been a strong atmosphere.
As soon as 2022 came, Shandong re-contracted with Son Jun-ho until the 2025 season. He also has an option for a one-year extension. When English professional soccer teams such as Southampton and Fulham reviewed the recruitment, they responded quickly to stay.
Son Jun-ho shone as the K-League 1 Helper King (2017) and MVP (2020) even during his Korean professional football days. He is also one of the two Chinese Super League players named in the final list of 32 countries for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.