Football player Son Junho (Suwon FC), who was permanently banned by the Chinese Football Association (CFA), has strongly denied allegations of match-fixing. However, he has admitted to receiving 200,000 yuan (approximately 37 million KRW) from a teammate, sparking controversy. Ultimately, the verdict from the Chinese court is expected to provide the first clue to resolving questions surrounding Son Junho.
On the 11th, Son Junho held a press conference at the Sports Hall inside Suwon Sports Complex, appealing his innocence against the match-fixing allegations and the permanent ban imposed by the Chinese Football Association. Son Junho acknowledged receiving 200,000 yuan from his former Shandong Taishan teammate Jin Jingdao but said he "does not remember" the reason for receiving the money. However, he insisted, "It was absolutely not an illegal financial transaction such as match-fixing." Jin Jingdao is currently reported to have been arrested by public security on charges of illegal betting and match-fixing.
Son Junho, who was close friends with Jin Jingdao during his two and a half years living in China and had active financial transactions with him, explained, "It could have been money I borrowed and repaid. I also gave a large sum as a gift to the football school he runs. I even arranged hospital surgery for his parents." He added, "Since I was making a lot of money in China, I didn’t think of it as a large amount at the time."
Son Junho’s agent stated that Son Junho was found guilty by a Chinese court for accepting 200,000 yuan in bribes, and "after negotiating with the judge regarding the sentence, it was settled that he would serve a sentence equivalent to the 10 months he had already been detained."
However, despite the press conference lasting over an hour and a half, no clear evidence such as official documents or materials supporting Son Junho’s allegations or proving his innocence was presented, leaving doubts unresolved. Therefore, there are opinions that the Chinese court’s verdict is crucial.
The verdict is expected to detail the specific criminal facts regarding the bribery charges, and if match-fixing was mentioned as a quid pro quo for the money, it would also specify whether illegal acts actually occurred in the matches identified as targets of match-fixing, as well as the methods used. When asked if they plan to disclose the verdict to the press, Son Junho’s side replied, "We have not received the verdict ourselves. We will discuss it with our Chinese lawyer."
Previously, in May last year, Son Junho was detained by public security while attempting to return to Korea through Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and was subsequently criminally detained and investigated by the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau in Liaoning Province. His charge is "accepting bribes as a non-state actor." This applies when a person affiliated with a company or other entity, rather than a government agency, illegally accepts property by exploiting their official position. Son Junho strongly denied involvement in match-fixing or any exchange of money during his transfer to Shandong. After about 10 months of detention, he was released in March and returned to the K League 1 stage wearing the Suwon FC uniform in June.
However, on the 10th, the Chinese Football Association announced, "According to facts recognized by judicial authorities, former Shandong Taishan player Son Junho participated in improper transactions to seek unjust benefits, manipulated football matches, and obtained illegal profits," and declared, "Son Junho is banned for life from any football-related activities."
The Chinese Football Association has notified the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) of the disciplinary action. After FIFA holds a disciplinary committee meeting to review the case and communicates the disciplinary measures to its member associations, Son Junho will be prohibited from playing as a football player in any country.
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