The Chinese government has clamped down on South Korea international Son Jun-ho and several others for alleged involvement in match fixing.
The ban is expected to halt the involvement of the affected players and officials in football activities in the country.
The clampdown was confirmed by Chinese state news agency Xinhua, which further revealed that three former South Korean internationals (names undisclosed) have been affected.
Further details of the report claimed that all the affected officials and players were involved in match-fixing, including grooming underground betting networks off the searchlights of the authorities.
The sad incident was reportedly uncovered by China’s intelligence network under the auspices of the security ministry. China has restrictive gambling laws limiting the operation of gambling platforms. This has led to the rise of underground and illegal betting houses.
The recent discovery by the security ministry revealed ties between these illegal betting houses and top football functionaries, including active footballers like Son Jun-ho.
According to the security ministry, the body had undertaken an in-depth investigation that began in 2022 to crack down and sanitize the country’s soccer from the corrupt officials and players running the underground gambling hubs and fixing matches to rip off unsuspecting gamblers.
The recent clampdown is coming a month after the government also axed a former high-ranking functionary of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) from his role, Xi Yuyi. Yuyi was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment for taking bribes while serving as the Vice President of CFA.
That was not all. Chen Xuyuan, who is said to be a one-time president of the CFA, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the same offense.
Who is Son Jun-ho?
Son Jun-ho is one of the few active Asian footballers that have been implicated by China’s crackdown on corruption and match-fixing. He is reportedly the famed character in the scandal. Jun-ho is a South Korea international but had played in the Chinese Super League—the top tier in the Chinese football league—from 2021 to 2023.
Jun-ho made 46 appearances in the Chinese Super League for Shandong Taishan. He scored four goals, playing as a defensive midfielder. It was within the two-year period in the Chinese League that he was indicted for match-fixing. He also allegedly took bribes to influence matches.
Close sources revealed he was held in China since May 2023, but he returned to South Korea, signing for South Korean top side Suwon FC, where he is currently plying his trade. Following the clampdown by Chinese authorities, Son Jun-ho remains ousted from all football activities in China. However, the ban remains limited only to China’s jurisdiction.
This means Son Jun-ho will continue his career in South Korea but will be frozen out of action if FIFA enforces the ban by China. Meanwhile, before FIFA will extend the ban worldwide, the Chinese Football Association must write to the world’s football governing body, requesting for the ban to be extended.
Son Jun-ho won the Chinese Super League in 2021, including the Chinese FA Cup in 2021 and 2022. He has won 20 caps with the South Korean senior national team since making his debut in 2018.
