"Lifetime Ban on All Football-Related Activities"…China Football Association Permanently Expels Son Junho

Chinese Football Association Claims "Illegal Profits from Match-Fixing"

Son Jun-ho (32, Suwon FC), a former South Korean national football team player who was detained and released by Chinese public security, has been permanently banned by the Chinese Football Association.

On the 10th, the Chinese Football Association stated, "According to facts recognized by judicial authorities, former Shandong Taishan player Son Jun-ho participated in unfair transactions to seek unjust benefits, manipulated football matches, and obtained illegal profits," adding, "Son Jun-ho is banned for life from any football-related activities."

The match between Suwon FC and Gwangju in the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 held at Suwon Sports Complex on June 25. Suwon FC's Son Junho is watching the ball. [Image provided by the Korea Professional Football Federation] [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, the association issued permanent bans to 43 players, including Son Jun-ho, who played for Shandong Taishan, Shenyang Hongyun, Jiangsu Suning, and Shanghai Shenhua, and suspended 17 others for five years.

Previously, in May last year, Son Jun-ho was detained by public security while attempting to return home through Shanghai Hongqiao Airport in China. He was subsequently criminally detained and investigated by the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau in Liaoning Province. His charge was "bribery by a non-state actor," which applies when a person affiliated with a company or other non-governmental entity illegally receives property by abusing their position.

There were speculations that he was involved in match-fixing or that money was exchanged during his transfer to Shandong, but Son Jun-ho's side has strongly denied these allegations.

Son Jun-ho was released and returned to Korea in March. After returning, he posted on his Instagram, "My greetings are very late. I am grateful to have safely returned and to be spending peaceful time with my family, enjoying an ordinary daily life." He continued, "I sincerely thank the people of the Republic of Korea who have not forgotten, shown interest, waited, and worried about me for a long time."

However, in the football community, there is speculation that the severe punishment imposed by China on Son Jun-ho could also be applied internationally. A recent official from the Korea Football Association explained, "If a punishment of a certain level or higher is reported by the relevant country's football association to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), it is applied internationally," adding, "If the Chinese Football Association imposes a high-level sanction such as a permanent ban on Son Jun-ho, it will also apply to Korean football."