The father of Tottenham Hotspur's captain, Son Heung-min, has been convicted of abusing young footballers at his Korean academy.
Last Friday, the Chuncheon district court dished out fines of three million won (around £1,700) and stipulated a requirement for 40 hours of education programmes for Son Woong-jung, another of his sons named Son Heung-yun, and a third coach who has not been named.
Despite rejecting any claims of misconduct, Son senior expressed in court, "never spoke or acted in a way that was not based on love for children" after facing charges alongside two other coaches. Nonetheless, the ex-international player issued an apology during the trial and committed to re-evaluating coaching practices at the facility, which was established in 2021 with substantial backing from the Tottenham star.
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Son Woong-jung and Son Heung-yun were formally charged this past summer following accusations involving one youth player claiming he was hit by a corner flag during a training stint in Japan back in March – an incident allegedly leading to two weeks of medical treatment. Furthermore, Son Woong-jung faced allegations of hurling abusive language at youngsters for blunders during practice.
All three mentors now have a seven-day window to file an appeal against their sentences.
Meanwhile, Son Heung-min finds himself out of play due to a hamstring injury picked up whilst representing Spurs against Qarabag in the Europa League the previous month, reports the Mirror.