Soccer player Son Junho (Taishan, Shandong) has been detained by Chinese police for three weeks, with some Chinese media reporting that his detention is “due to his involvement in four match-fixing cases.”
“Son Jun-ho participated in four match-fixing matches in the Chinese soccer league last season under the direction of Jin Jing-dao,” Chinese media outlet Sohu.com claimed on January 1.
Jin Jingdao is an ethnic Korean soccer player known in South Korea as Kim Kyung-do. Jin Jingdao has also been detained by Chinese public security on match-fixing charges.
However, the media outlet said that it is possible that Son Jun-ho did not enter the match with the intent to cheat. “The whistleblower said he 안전놀이터 thought Son Jun-ho was just carrying out (Qin Jing-dao’s instructions) to fulfill the director’s intentions,” said Sohu.com, adding that Son Jun-ho is likely to be cleared of the charges because he did not receive any financial compensation.”
The Korean Football Association (KFA) dispatched its chief executive officer Jeon Han-jin and an in-house lawyer to China the same day, where they will meet with officials from the Chinese Football Association to discuss the case.
Son was arrested by Chinese police at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on March 12. At the time, Son was awaiting a flight back to South Korea with his family after being granted leave by acting head coach Fabio Shandong. He is currently being held by public security authorities in Liaoning province.
According to Chinese media, he is suspected of “soliciting non-state actors”. However, the public security authorities have not disclosed exactly what offenses he has committed or what type of investigation he is facing. The KFA, with the cooperation of the South Korean Embassy, plans to attempt to interview Son Jun-ho.