According to a report by South Korean outlet Yonhap, Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min’s father, Son Woong-jung, has been charged with child abuse. He allegedly also hit a player with a corner flag, as per the same report.
The former player-turned-youth coach, and two other coaches, one of which is his other son, Son Heung-yun, were indicted on Friday, August 30, for allegedly mistreating children under their care.
The Son Football Academy located in Chuncheon, South Korea, has been under scrutiny since March after the parents of a young player made a report against Son Sr. of assaulting their child. The incident allegedly occurred in Okinawa, Japan, during a training camp and left the player injured for weeks.
Speaking to Yonhap (via GOAL), the child’s parents said:
“Thinking about how frightened my son must have been makes me angry. I decided to report the case to the police because I didn’t want to see another case like this.”
The Tottenham star’s father released a statement that read (via GOAL):
“This incident was not corporal punishment but a mutually agreed event as part of fitness training. I will self-reflect in atonement for having insisted on my method while failing to catch up with the boundaries set by the change of times and laws.
“I swear that coaches at my academy have never engaged in any action that wasn’t based on love for our young players. Much of what the plaintiff has said is not true, and we at the academy are fully cooperating with the authorities during this investigation, without distorting or covering up facts.”
The report has come as a shock in South Korea where Son Heung-min and his family are footballing royalty. The prosecutors have slapped an undisclosed fine on the trio and ordered them to attend specialized training to prevent similar events from happening in the future (via GOAL).
Son Heung-min hopes to leave Tottenham a legend
Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min hopes to leave the club as a legend. The South Korean star joined the club in 2015 from Bayer Leverkusen for €30 million and grew into one of the greatest players in the club’s history, bagging 164 goals and 84 assists in 410 games.
Speaking with the BBC about his legacy earlier this month, the forward said he hoped to leave the club as a legend. He said:
“Legendary. Being at one team in 10 years is a good effort I think. You have to be consistent with this and you also have to give something back to the club. I still don’t think I am a legend of this club. I have said I want to win something with Spurs, then I want to be very happy to be called legend. I joined Spurs to win a trophy and I hope we can make a special season.”
The 32-year-old has failed to win a trophy with Tottenham and will be keen to change that before his contract expires in 2025.
