Klinsmann and Son Heung-min worried about Korean player's arrest in China

One day after Chinese authorities officially announced the arrest of Shandong Taishan player Son Jun-ho, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and South Korean national team captain Son Heung-min held a press conference in Daejeon regarding the incident.

Son Jun-ho in Shandong Taishan club jersey

Son Jun-ho was arrested on May 12 at an airport in Shanghai as part of an investigation into bribery in Chinese football.

Under Chinese law, police can hold suspects for up to 37 days before arresting them. On June 19, an official arrest warrant for Son Jun-ho was approved, and the South Korean player will be jailed and undergo an investigation that could last one to two months.

Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and Son Heung-min at the press conference

The arrest comes amid a growing focus on match-fixing in Chinese football. Details surrounding Son Jun-ho's arrest have not been released, but according to the JoongAng Ilbo (South Korea) newspaper, Son Jun-ho's agent in China was also arrested earlier this month for bribery.

China's Foreign Ministry confirmed the arrest on May 16. Meanwhile, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said its mission in China is providing necessary consular assistance to the player and declined to elaborate, citing privacy concerns.

Captain Son Heung-min worried about his teammates' fate

"It's a pity because we don't know exactly what's going on with Son Jun-ho. We've tried to contact him at all times but we haven't gotten any answers, even by text message. The only thing we as Korean players can do is pray for Son Jun-ho and hope he can return to the team as soon as possible," captain Son Heung-min told reporters at a press conference at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium.

Son Jun-ho and the Korean team compete at the 2022 Qatar World Cup

Son Jun-ho, 31, has been playing for Shandong Taishan since 2021 when the club won the Chinese Super League.

Previously, he was a member of famous clubs Pohang Steelers and Jeonbuk Motors. Son Jun-ho has 20 caps for the Korean national team, participated in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and previously won the football gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games, won the East Asian Football Championship.

Although he cannot return to Korea at this time, Son Jun-ho was still registered by coach Klinsmann in the list of friendly matches with Peru and El Salvador to show solidarity: "We all sympathize with Son Jun-ho. We pray for him and his family, hoping that the incident related to him will be resolved as quickly as possible. Hopefully he will return to the team as soon as possible. The Korean team needs an experienced pillar like him."

Source: https://nld.com.vn/the-thao/klinsmann-va-son-heung-min-au-lo-viec-tuyen-thu-han-bi-bat-o-trung-quoc-20230620112849455.htm