The choice of Son Jun-ho despite his detention in China took the main focus off Premier League star Son Heung-min for once when South Korea’s soccer roster was unveiled.
Son Jun-ho, who plays for Shandong Taishan and won the 2021 Chinese championship with the Jinan-based club, has been held by Chinese authorities for nearly 4 weeks since he was detained at Shanghai Airport last month.
Yet he was picked by South Korea’s head coach Jurgen Klinsmann this week for 2 international friendlies against Peru and El Salvador on June 16 and 20.
Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Son, who represented South Korea on the World Cup last 12 months in Qatar, was being investigated on suspicion of taking bribes.
Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post last month reported that the bribery allegations concerned suspected match-fixing involving coach Hao Wei.
Despite, or due to, the dearth of clarity, Klinsmann called him up for international duty.
“We don’t know his mind-set, we don’t know what physical state he’s in but I feel it’s vital to point out Jun-ho support (so) he feels we’re right there behind him,” Klinsmann said in Seoul on Monday. “Obviously, we’re all shocked with the situation. We actually hope and pray that he gets released. Nevertheless it’s not in our hands. He’s on the list in case something happens.”
Klinsmann, the previous US head coach who was appointed to the South Korean job in February, chosen the player in his first two games in charge against Colombia and Uruguay in March.
But with doubt over his ability to report for national team duty, Klinsmann added that there was scope for flexibility with the squad.
“Our roster you see today may not be the roster you see next week,” he said. “It’s an open situation.”
In keeping with reports in China, Son is the primary foreign player to be caught up in the most recent attempts by Beijing authorities to wash up the best levels of Chinese soccer.
Chinese soccer has struggled for years to rid itself of a status for corruption amongst coaches, team owners, players, referees and government sports officials.
Nearly a dozen high-profile figures have been arrested on corruption allegation s, including former men’s national coach Li Tie.
Son played seven seasons with South Korea’s Pohang Steelers and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors before joining Shandong Taishan in 2021 on a four-year contract.