South Korean footballer Son Jun-ho has been arrested in China on suspicion of accepting bribes, as part of a wider crackdown on corruption in Chinese football.
Son, who plays for Shandong Taishan in the Chinese Super League, was detained by public security authorities in Liaoning province. He is the first foreign footballer to be investigated and detained since the CSL began in 2004.
The arrest is part of a broader initiative by China's anti-graft watchdog to rid the sport of corruption at the highest levels. Several Chinese Football Association figures are also under investigation, including former president Chen Xuyuan and former head coach Li Tie.
Mark Dreyer, a Beijing-based Chinese soccer expert, said that Son's arrest reflects the state of Chinese soccer, which is "not in a good place, at all." He added that the league hasn't been in as bad a state in at least a decade.
Beijing has been cracking down on corruption in Chinese football, with the Communist Party's anti-graft watchdog investigating a host of Chinese Football Association figures, including former vice-president Yu Hongchen, former secretary-general Liu Yi, and former CSL general manager Dong Zheng.
Shandong Taishan's former head coach Hao Wei is also being investigated over allegations of match-fixing, according to the Global Times.
On Tuesday, Shandong Taishan hired South Korean Choi Kang-hee to replace Hao as head coach.
Son's arrest is a major blow to Shandong Taishan, which won the 2021 Chinese Super League title and 2021 Chinese Football Association Cup, with Son playing a key role in their success.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) said it had written to the Chinese Football Association and the Asian Football Confederation regarding the player on Tuesday but had not yet heard back. The KFA's Vice President Kim Jeong-bae was checking on Son's condition with the South Korean Foreign and Sports Ministries, a KFA.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the ministry was aware of Son's situation and that local Korean diplomatic missions were providing consular assistance. However, due to the Personal Information Protection Act, the spokesperson could not provide further information.
Wang Wenbin, China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, said that China would provide South Korean officials with the "necessary facilitation" to perform their consular duties.