Son Jun-ho (Shandong Taishan), who was active as a top midfielder in China, was arrested by the public security on suspicion of bribery.
On the afternoon of the 15th (Korean time), domestic media and local media in China reported simultaneously about Son Jun-ho’s detention. The criminal detention occurred following the revelation of allegations of match-fixing by Shandong Taishan Haowei, the head coach of his team.
– Suspicion of Son Jun-ho, not a simple problem
Son Jun-ho is suspected of receiving bribes from manager Hao Wei, rather than taking bribes after receiving a match-fixing request.
Of course, there are still doubts. In fact, according to logical judgment, there is no reason for Son Jun-ho to offer a bribe. One of the main reasons players bribe managers is to compete for the starting spot.
However, is there a possibility that Korean mercenary Son Jun-ho will offer a bribe to hire him instead of a Chinese midfielder? Neither the player himself nor the club and manager who signed him with expensive money have any reason to do so.
The second possibility of being ‘hit’ by the director is a kickback.
Son Jun-ho signs a high-salary contract with the club and provides part of the amount to Hao-wei.
It is a method of raising the annual salary paid to players in the contract and then taking it as an agent fee of up to 50%. Of course, the actual amount paid to the players remains unchanged.
Local media have reported that this is one of the ways in which an individual can legally use the club’s funds, and that there have been attempts like this in relation to the transfer of mercenaries (foreign players).안전놀이터
In November 2022, this magazine mentioned this method by mentioning the ‘illegal money laundering’ of manager Litian, who was active in the Chinese national team-Wuhan FC. Coach Ritian, who was suspected at the time, is awaiting judgment by the Chinese authorities.
Son Jun-ho, who announced his joining Shandong in January 2021, signed a renewal contract around January 2022. The remaining contract period at the time of his three-year contract until 2023 is two years.
In addition to the situation of Son Jun-ho, who was pushing for a transfer to Fulham at the time, this was somewhat unusual, considering that the renewal of the contract for Chinese mercenaries was announced close to the contract expiration date.
It’s still only a suspicion, but if the suspicion turns out to be true, the person involved will be Son Jun-ho. In other words, it is a long-term horse used for ‘misappropriation of funds’ by directors and club officials.
In fact, the Chinese agent who was in charge of Son Jun-ho’s transfer, Zhu Kai-xuan, also disappeared from Weibo, where he was active, on April 29th. If the agent is involved, there is a high possibility that transfer and salary negotiations are related.
Meanwhile, Shandong Taishan, which kicked out former coach Hao Wei, who was the key to this case, is about to sign a three-year contract with coach Choi Kang-hee. The contract will be announced as soon as this week at the earliest, or at the latest, on the 20th, right after the Tianjin Jinmen Hudian War.