With former national soccer coach Li Tie in the net, and current international soccer player Jin Jingdao following in his footsteps, many colleagues have rushed to support. Meanwhile, the turmoil at the top of the Football Association has spilled over to those who have already left, and it seems that the anti-corruption fight is entering a tailspin, but it is getting more and more frenzied. They continue to dig for clues and have even set their sights on the international arena...
Hao Wei, the head coach who was in charge of the Chinese women's soccer team and the Shandong Taishan team, has been missing for quite some time. Although no official news has been released, the accident is almost a foregone conclusion, only the time has not yet come. It was at this point that a breaking news shook the soccer world:
South Korea's current international footballer and Shandong Taishan's foreign aid Sun Junho, has been detained by the police according to the law on suspicion of taking bribes! And with the matter confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the storm seems to be intensifying.
In the first six rounds of this season's Chinese Super League, Sun Junhao started and took up a lot of time, but his form was a far cry from last season, especially in the Chengdu Rongcheng battle, where he performed poorly and seemed distracted. However, at the time, he did not associate himself with the fight against corruption in Chinese soccer. Two days ago, news broke that he was taken away by the police for investigation. Despite reports in the Korean media that he had been investigated, most people still thought it was only a preliminary investigation until the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded with a real wake-up call!
Fans can't help but wonder: why are foreign aiders getting involved in this muddy waters of Chinese soccer?
Personally, I'm speculating that Sun Junho may be in the dark about transfer fees or salaries, and that there may be some sort of connection between him and Hao Wei.
Although Son Jungho is a current South Korean international, he is not an absolute starter. In friendly matches and the World Cup, he didn't get much playing time and couldn't compare with Son and Kim Min Ja. Naturally, it is difficult for him to find his place in the top five European leagues. However, the salary in Korea's K-League is not generous, so he chose to come to the Chinese Super League, which can offer him a salary equivalent to that of the top five leagues.
It is reported that Son Jungho's annual salary in the Chinese Super League has exceeded 10 million euros (about 1.5 million euros), which is not a small amount. It is unlikely that he can easily earn such a high salary in any other league except the Chinese Super League. The pay scale of foreign aiders in the Chinese Super League also varies from region to region. Asian foreigners are generally paid less, and 1.5 million euros per year is a bit too much for a replacement South Korean international.
Most clubs were facing struggles when Son Jungho joined the Chinese Super League in the 2021 season. Despite the relative comfort of Shandong Taishan, he was brought in for €1.5 million a year, with a reported transfer fee of €4.5 million. This would have been an understandable price for a regular starter Korean international. Although he did perform well, the level of the Chinese Super League had begun to decline at the time and it is questionable whether the price was justified.
Sun Jungho is suspected of taking bribes and the following are more likely:
Head coach Hao Wei gave him a salary that exceeded his actual value and allocated two extra men. As Sun Jun Hao was 29 years old when he joined the Chinese Super League, he was set in all aspects and it was difficult to increase his salary. Lured by money, he and Hao Wei hit it off.
In addition, the likelihood of Son Jungho's involvement in match-fixing (match-fixing) is relatively low, and the public security authorities are currently detaining him only on the basis of bribery charges.
Such an incident has also caused an uproar in the Korean soccer world. From the perspective of Korean fans, they might blame Chinese soccer for this incident and think that the Chinese Super League is a polluted place. So, do you think this is an effect of the environment of the Chinese Super League or a personal problem of Son Junho?
