World Cup star Son Jun-ho leaves Korean club after match-fixing ban

South Korean World Cup midfielder Son Jun-ho had his contract with top-tier Suwon FC terminated Friday by mutual consent, three days after Chinese football banned him for life for alleged match-fixing.

Son gave a tearful press conference on Wednesday in which he proclaimed his innocence, having been among 43 people banned this week by the Chinese Football Association.

The 32-year-old, who previously played for Shandong Taishan in the Chinese Super League, returned to South Korea in March having spent 10 months in detention in China.

He joined K League side Suwon in June as he attempted to get his career back on track, but he and the club on Friday cut ties as the controversy swirled.

Choi Soon-ho, Suwon’s sporting director, said: “We have decided to accept Son Jun-ho’s request for contract termination, as he has expressed his concern for the club, his team-mates and the fans.

“We sincerely apologise to the Suwon FC supporters and all Korean football fans for any concern this situation may have caused.”

According to Yonhap, public sentiment has turned against Son since a press conference that the news agency said “left more questions than answers”. 

An emotional Son denied wrongdoing and accused Chinese authorities of blackmailing him to force a confession.

Son played in three of South Korea’s four matches at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.