South Korea midfielder Son Jun-ho arrested trying to leave China with his family, being questioned over bribe allegation
- The World Cup star has played for Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan FC since 2021
- Son has been detained since last Friday by police in Liaoning in northern China, but agent expects him to be ‘released soon’
South Korea international Son Jun-ho was arrested while trying to leave China with his family and is being questioned by police on suspicion of having taken a bribe.
The midfielder, who played in three of his country’s four games at last year’s Fifa World Cup, has reportedly been held by Liaoning police in northern China since last Friday, the same day Son celebrated his 31st birthday.
On Tuesday, Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the foreign ministry in Beijing, said Son was detained “on suspicion of accepting bribes by non-state employees”.
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Police “will provide necessary facilities for South Korean diplomats to perform their consular duties”, he added.
According to local media, which quoted Son’s agent, the Shandong Taishan FC player had “passed immigration but was arrested by the police at the gate before boarding”.
“He is now being investigated for accepting bribes, the same allegation made against his club coach Hao Wei, who was also being arrested,” the agent is quoted as saying. “We are trying to get more details on the case but believe the player may be released soon.”
News of Son’s arrest first broke on Monday, when Seoul’s Yonhap news agency, citing an unidentified official at the South Korean Embassy in Beijing, reported that he was being “questioned by the public security authorities in Liaoning province while in detention”.
“We understand that Son has been questioned by the public security authorities in Liaoning province while in detention,” an official with the embassy said. “A consul responsible for that region is providing necessary consular assistance.”
Chinese media have reported that Son, who joined the Chinese Super League club at the start of the 2021 season from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, and other Shandong players had been questioned about match-fixing allegations surrounding their head coach, Hao Wei.
Shandong lifted their fourth Chinese Super League title and the FA Cup in 2021 under Hao, who has been in charge of the club since for three years.
Last season, they finished second behind Wuhan Three Towns on goal difference, and both clubs are expected to represent China in the 2023 AFC Champions League main round.
