元韓国代表ＭＦ、涙ながらに八百長否定　中国警察の脅迫も告発

【水原（韓国）ＡＦＰ＝時事】中国サッカー協会（ＣＦＡ）に永久資格停止処分を科された元韓国代表ＭＦの孫準浩（ソン・ジュンホ）は１１日、涙ながらに八百長への関与を否定し、中国側から脅迫を受けたと告発した。（写真は、ソウル市内にある韓国Ｋリーグ１部・水原ＦＣの本部で会見する孫準浩）
　孫は中国スーパーリーグ（１部）の山東泰山に所属していた昨年５月、八百長と収賄に関与したとして中国で拘束された。今年３月に韓国に帰国したが、今週に入り、中国国内の試合で違法賭博や八百長に関わったとしてＣＦＡから他４２人と共に永久資格停止処分を受けた。
　孫はこの日ソウルで開いた会見で、中国で拘束されたのは「あまりにもショックだった」と話し、中国の警察に脅され、子どもを含む家族を自白に追い込む道具として利用されたと訴えた。
　「中国警察はばかげた容疑を突きつけてきた」「容疑を認めなければ妻も逮捕し、同じ拘置所に連れて行って取り調べを行うと脅された」と主張し、十分な通訳や弁護士へのアクセスを与えられず、中国警察から収賄容疑をかけられていると知ったときは「呆然」としたと明かした。
　会見では時折話すのをやめて涙を拭きながら、「そのようなことは一切していない」と疑惑を否定しつつ、中国警察からは容疑を認めれば早期に釈放すると取引を持ちかけられたと述べ、「家族のことを思って恐怖と不安でいっぱいになり、すぐに家族のもとに戻るために、意味も理解していなかった罪を認めるしかなかった」と語った。
　また、中国警察は自身に自白を強要した際の音声ファイルを公開すべきだと主張し、「完全な透明性を持って汚名をそそぎたい」と話した。
　代理人は、中国側は不正行為の証拠を提供していないとして、孫が国際サッカー連盟（ＦＩＦＡ）から制裁を科される可能性は低いとの認識を示している。ＡＦＰはＦＩＦＡにコメントを求めたが、返答はなかった。
　孫は帰国後、国内５部リーグのチームを経て現在は１部の水原ＦＣでプレーしている。韓国代表では、２０２２年のＷ杯カタール大会で４試合中３試合に出場したが、今週行われた２６年のＷ杯北中米大会に向けたアジア最終予選のメンバーには選ばれなかった。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/09/12-17:04）

South Korea World Cup player Son Jun-ho broke down in tears Wednesday as he denied match-fixing and accused China of blackmail after they banned him for life.
Son, who played for Shandong Taishan in the Chinese Super League, was accused by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) of participating in match-fixing and was detained for 10 months last year
The midfielder, who appeared in three of South Korea's four matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, returned to South Korea in March after being detained in May 2023.
But he was one of 43 people banned for life this week by Chinese authorities over alleged gambling and match-fixing.
A weeping and visibly emotional Son told reporters that his arrest had been an overwhelming shock.
He said he had been threatened by Chinese police with his family, including his children, used as bargaining chips to force him to confess to the charges.
The Chinese police presented ridiculous charges, he said.
They threatened that if I didn't admit to the charges, my wife would be arrested through the foreign ministry and brought to the same detention centre to be investigated with me, he said.
He said he was not given adequate Korean translations or access to a lawyer, and when he realised Chinese police were accusing him of bribery, he was dumbfounded.
I said I hadn't done anything like that, the 32-year-old said, constantly having to stop talking to wipe away tears.
Son was held on suspicion of accepting bribes by non-state employees without being given details and he said his family were used to extract a confession.
While showing me pictures of my daughter and son on my phone, they pressured me, saying: 'What did the children do to deserve this?', Son told reporters.
'If your wife comes here too, how will the kids manage? Don't you think your children want to see their father? So admit it quickly'.
- 'False confession' -
He said he was offered a deal by Chinese police, who told him if he admitted his guilt he would be released quickly.
Overwhelmed with fear and concern for my family, I had no choice but to admit to charges I didn't even understand, just to return to my family quickly, he said.
He said Chinese police should release the audio files of his interrogation to show how they coerced a confession from me.
I want to clear my name with absolute transparency. The only evidence they had was my false confession, obtained through the intense pressure of their early interrogation tactics.
Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing has deepened a crackdown on corruption in Chinese sports in recent years, especially football, and jailed numerous top officials.
Xi is a self-confessed football fanatic who has said he dreams of China hosting and winning the World Cup.
But that ambition appears further away than ever after repeated corruption scandals and years of disappointing results on the pitch.
Following his return, Son joined South Korea's fifth-tier league before making it to top-league team Suwon FC in June.
Son was not selected for the national squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers over the past week due to the risk associated with the Chinese allegations, the team's head coach, Hong Myung-bo, said when he announced the squad last month.