It’s only been a month since my arrest. We still don’t really know what’s what. We only hear the occasional story that trickles through the Chinese media, and because of the secrecy and asymmetry of information, we don’t know much. All we know is that he’s been detained on bribery charges in China. That’s where the story of Son Junho, 31, of Taishan, Shandong, stopped.
Nevertheless, Son’s soccer story continues. He was included in the national soccer team’s roster for the June trials. Naturally, he couldn’t make it to the national team’s call-up day, but we kept his name on the roster. It’s probably the first time in the history of the national soccer team that we’ve ever kept a player on the roster who couldn’t make it, so it’s symbolic.
Klinsmann said that by including him in the roster, he wanted to let him know that “our soccer is in this together.” It was a big show of solidarity. It’s a show of support for a player who we don’t know if he’s done anything wrong, and even if he has, we need to ask if it’s clear. It’s a way of saying that it’s hard to fully accept that he’s being detained unilaterally by the Chinese government. It’s also a way of saying that no matter what crime he’s suspected of, he should be able to fully use that defense, and he’s not.
In that sense, Klinsmann must have felt that our soccer needed to remember him, and that “remembering” is what he did with the national team roster. And keeping his name on the roster until the end, even when he knew he wouldn’t be called up, is an additional message.
Klinsmann remained the first coach to use the power of varsity player selection for something other than soccer. In memory of Son Jun Ho.
Soccer isn’t just about winning. It’s also about the applause in the moments of defeat. What people notice is whether the soccer is attractive. With Son, Klinsmann may be bringing out a little more of what soccer can do. 토토사이트
In the heat of June, South Korean soccer will face Peru on June 16 and El Salvador on June 20. From Son Heung-min to Lee Kang-in to Hwang Hee-chan, the team is loaded.