South Korean football coach Jürgen Klinsmann has appealed to the Chinese government to release Sun Jun-ho, a midfielder who played in the 2022 World Cup, before Christmas. Sun has been detained in China since May on bribery charges, but no evidence has been presented to support the allegations.
Sun, 31, joined the Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan in 2021 and represented his country in three of the four matches at the World Cup in Qatar. He was arrested in May “on suspicion of accepting bribes from non-state employees”, according to Beijing’s Foreign Ministry, which did not provide any further details. South Korean media reported that Sun was being held in the northeastern province of Liaoning, but his condition and whereabouts have been unknown since then.
Klinsmann, a former Germany international, included Sun in his squad for two friendlies in June, despite his detention. He said the Korea Football Association had sent officials to China to seek Sun’s release, but the player’s lawyer was “reluctant” to talk to them.
On Tuesday, after a 3-0 World Cup qualifier win over China that secured South Korea’s place in the final round, Klinsmann renewed his plea for Sun’s freedom. “Now we have one wish for Christmas: to release Son Joon-ho, they have not proved anything to date that Kinkissan did anything wrong,” he told reporters. “We hope the Chinese government will release him to be with his family before Christmas.”
Sun’s case has drawn attention from human rights groups and football fans, who have expressed concern over his treatment and the lack of transparency in the Chinese judicial system. Amnesty International has called on China to “immediately and unconditionally” release Sun and “ensure that he is not subjected to torture or other ill-treatment”.
The Chinese Football Association has not commented on Sun’s case, and the Chinese government has not responded to Klinsmann’s request. Sun’s family and friends have also been unable to contact him or visit him in prison. Sun’s wife, Kim Min-ji, said she was “heartbroken” and “worried sick” about her husband. “I hope he can come back home soon and play football again,” she said. “He loves football more than anything.”
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