On June 26, South Korean media reported that Son Woong-jung, the father of South Korean football's number one star and the president of the football academy of the same name, and two of his coaches were charged with verbal and physical abuse of a youth soccer player at the academy.
South Korean media quoted the player's parents as saying that Son Woong-jeong and two other coaches were suspected of abusing their children at the Son Woong-jeong Football Academy in Chuncheon, South Korea, and inflicting corporal punishment on the children for mistakes made in training and games. However, Sun Xiongzheng soon issued a public statement through South Korean media, claiming that most of the accusations were untrue. The football academy could not accept the player's parents' request for hundreds of millions of won in settlement.
South Korean media reported that in March this year, after the first training camp organized by Sun Xiongzheng Football Academy in Okinawa, Japan, the parents of a student (player) found that their son had a bruise on his thigh, so they reported 62-year-old Sun Xiongzheng and two other coaches to the police. The player's parents then claimed that on 9 March, a coach struck their child in the thigh with a corner flag, causing the child to suffer injuries that would take two weeks to undergo treatment.
South Korean media quoted the player as revealing to the police that the coach forced him and his teammates to run from the goal to the halfway line within 20 seconds of losing the game. When the player and three teammates failed to reach the target in time, they were forced to remain in a push-up position, and their buttocks were hit by the coach with a corner flag. The player also accused Sun Xiong of verbally abusing him for making a mistake in training, and another coach had hit him on different parts of his body in the academy's players' dormitory.
South Korean media revealed that the police in Gangwon Province of South Korea had transferred the case to the prosecution in April this year. The player's father said through Korean media that he was very angry and disappointed that his son was abused. South Korean media quoted the father as saying: "I am very angry at the thought of my son being frightened. That's why I decided to file a police report because I didn't want to see it happen again. ”
Son did not agree with the parents' claims, and although he has apologized to the players and their families through the media, he has denied that he has abused the players. In his statement, Sun Xiongzheng said: "I swear that the coaches of my (football) academy have never been involved in any behavior that is not based on love for young players. Much of what the plaintiff said was untrue, and our college fully cooperated with the police during the investigation and never distorted or covered up the facts. ”
Son also revealed that the player's parents demanded that the academy pay a settlement of "hundreds of millions of won", which was unacceptable to the academy.
Regarding his strict teaching method, Sun Xiongzheng said frankly: "I admit that I have always insisted on my own (training) method, and I have not recognized or adapted to the changes in training standards brought about by the changes of the times. I'm going to look for other ways to help young athletes focus on their competitions and training. ”
However, Ryu Jae Yool, the lawyer representing the players, countered that Sun Xiongzheng was just trying to portray himself and his coach as innocent people and make it appear that the plaintiffs were just trying to covet a huge settlement money. Ryu said: "The [player's] parents came out of anger and asked for a settlement, but there was no serious discussion about how much should be paid," Ryu said. ”
Text/Beiqing Sports Xiao Yun