Son Heung-min's Father Son Woong-jung and Two Other Coaches
Accused of Verbal Abuse and Corporal Punishment of Youth Players
"Demanded Hundreds of Millions in Settlement, Many Other Issues"
"Failed to Understand Changing Times," Apologizes Humbly
Son Heung-min, a soccer national team player and an active member of the Premier League (EPL) club Tottenham, along with his father Son Woong-jung, the coach, and other coaching staff have been sued on charges of child abuse, including verbal abuse and corporal punishment of youth players under their supervision. Currently, Mr. Son operates a youth soccer training institution called 'SON Soccer Academy.'
On the 26th, Yonhap News reported that Coach Son and two coaches, A and B, were sued on charges of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act. The Gangwon Provincial Police Agency, which investigated the case, referred the three to the prosecution around mid-April.
Earlier, the victim child, C, filed a complaint on March 19 stating, "During the training camp in Okinawa on March 9, Coach A hit the back of C's thigh with a corner kick pole, causing injuries that required two weeks of treatment." In the police investigation, C claimed, "Because we lost the game, Coach A ordered me to run from the goalpost to the center line within 20 seconds. When I failed to meet the time, I was hit on the buttocks with the corner kick pole while lying face down."
Additionally, C testified that during the Okinawa training camp from March 7 to 12, he was subjected to severe verbal abuse by Coach Son for reasons such as making mistakes, losing games, and poor basic skills training. Furthermore, Coach B was reported to have repeatedly hit players on their buttocks and calves in the dormitory where academy players lived together, as well as pulling sideburns and hitting the head.
C's father said in an interview with the media, "I was very disappointed that my child was hit, and thinking about how scared and fearful my son must have been makes me angry," adding, "I decided to file a complaint because I believe such cases should never happen again."
In response, Mr. Son's side issued a statement to the media, gently denying the allegations by saying, "There was never any speech or behavior without love as a premise." Mr. Son said, "An investigation is currently underway regarding the harsh language used during recent academy training and corporal punishment during physical training," and "We deeply apologize to the children and their families who have been emotionally hurt." However, he also rebutted, "Many parts of the complainant's claims differ from the truth, so the academy is disclosing the facts without distortion or concealment and is actively cooperating with the investigation."
Mr. Son's side also stated that the complainant is demanding a settlement of several hundred million won. Mr. Son said, "Since the incident, the academy has apologized to the complainant and tried to resolve the matter amicably. However, the complainant demanded a settlement amount in the hundreds of millions of won, which the academy could not accept, so unfortunately, no agreement was reached," adding, "We are currently awaiting a fair legal judgment based on accurate facts without any separate settlement. The memories and statements of those who directly experienced the events at that time and afterward do not match."
He continued, "I swear with everything I have that there was never any speech or behavior by the academy leaders without love for the children as a premise," and "I have no intention of denying what was done, nor of claiming something was done when it was not. I reflect on the fact that I failed to catch up with the changing times and legal standards and only coached the children in my own way. I will find other methods so that the children can demonstrate their best concentration and immerse themselves in training on the field."
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