Daily Mail

Football coach Son Woong-jung has been fined £1,683 by a court in South Korea

He is the 62-year-old father of Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min

LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! , available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday

Son Heung-min's father, Son Woong-jung, has been fined 3 million won (£1,683) for violating child welfare law.

The punishment was dished out by a court in South Korea, where Son Woong-jung runs the Son Football Academy.

Two other members of coaching staff from the academy have also been fined 3m won for the same violation.

In June, Mail Online reported that Son Woong-jung was accused of beating a young student with a corner flag for 'coming last in a race'.

The 62-year-old acknowledged that the incident had taken place and he apologised. But he denied that his treatment of players amounted to physical abuse.

'This incident was not corporal punishment but a mutually agreed event as part of fitness training,' he said in a statement. The player came last in a race and was therefore apparently supposed to be 'hit once' on the thigh.

The player's parents reported the coach to the police in March following the training camp and claimed Son Woong-jung had struck their son on the thigh with the flag on March 9, at a training camp in Okinawa, Japan.

The parents also claimed that their child had suffered an injured thigh as a result and that it required treatment for two weeks.

'Thinking about how frightened my son must have been makes me angry,' the father of the student said, via Seoul-based news agency Yonhap.

'I decided to report the case to the police because I didn't want to see another case like this.'

Police forwarded the matter to prosecutors in April, with Son Woong-jung subsequently releasing a statement on the incident after attempting to settle the matter with the player's parents.

'We are currently awaiting a fair legal judgement based on facts,' Son Woong-jung said in a statement, before admitting his coaching methods had failed to uphold standards relating to player welfare.

'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,' he said.

He added that some of the facts as told by those giving evidence were 'not true'.

'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.'

Son Woong-jung is a well-known figure in South Korea, having played football professionally for teams including Sangmu FC, Hyundai Horang-i and Ilhwa Chunma as a forward. He was also selected to represent South Korea's B team back in 1987.

He is largely credited with helping to raise and coach the generational talent Son Heung-min, who has established himself as a global star.

Son Heung-min, 32, currently captains both South Korea and Tottenham Hotspur.

He has scored 164 goals in 415 appearances for Spurs and he became the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot when he netted 23 times during the 2021-22 season.

The Son Football Academy, which is located approximately 80km northeast of Seoul, cost just under £11million to build.

Spurs legend Steve Perryman believes Celtic are snapping up one of the smartest men in football in new recruitment chief Paul Tisdale.

A former director of football at Exeter City, Perryman interviewed Tisdale for the St James Park hotseat and worked by his side for 12 years.

A self-employed football consultant since leaving Stevenage in 2022, the 51-year-old is poised to become Celtic’s new head of recruitment after Mark Lawwell left the post in March.

And ex-England midfielder Perryman claims the Parkhead club have landed an astute judge of a player.

‘Paul is in the top three football people I have met for his intelligence,’ he told Mail Sport.

‘You meet people in football who have come from an education background and you think: “Yeah, but they haven’t played”.

‘Then you see people from an education background who look at players and think: “They’re not thinkers, are they”?

‘The hard part is getting the balance between the two, and “Tis” was - and is - a very, very well educated football person.

‘So, in terms of his judgment in situations, such as recruitment, selection, dealing with the board and players, he is excellent.

‘His intelligence saw him through - and his intelligence said to me “he could be chief executive chairman of this club”.

‘He covered every base because he had great character and intelligence.

‘He knows where he fits in, and he concentrates on that. He can wear so many different hats.’

Former Southampton playerTisdale was credited with discovering Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, and Perryman claims the England striker is just one of a number of talented young players who came through during his time as Exeter boss.

He also believes Tisdale’s skill set fits in with the player-trading model at the Parkhead club, who sold Matt O’Riley to Brighton for £25million and brought in Arne Engels on an £11m record deal.

‘He signed well, even when we were dealing with the lower-league market,’ said Perryman.

‘When you are at an Exeter, though - and I think this probably applies to everyone now - you have to have a keen eye and a good judgment on young players.

‘At Exeter, he was signing players from under-13 to first-team level and, if you had anything about you then, you could be in the first team by 17.

‘As he did with Ollie Watkins, as he did with Matt Grimes, who is now captain of Swansea.

‘He found Ethan Ampadu and put him in the team at the age of 15.

‘He just had great judgment. Judgment in the boardroom, judgment in a trial match where you have 30 or 40 players and you only need three to make up your squad.

‘Judgment in football is critical. And “Tis” has the brain to get the best out of whatever job he is doing and just doing things right.

‘He is honest, he is honourable, he is likeable and he just does things right.’

If you choose to “Accept all,” we will also use cookies and data to

Develop and improve new services

Deliver and measure the effectiveness of ads

Show personalized content, depending on your settings

Show personalized ads, depending on your settings

If you choose to “Reject all,” we will not use cookies for these additional purposes.

Non-personalized content is influenced by things like the content you’re currently viewing, activity in your active Search session, and your location. Non-personalized ads are influenced by the content you’re currently viewing and your general location. Personalized content and ads can also include more relevant results, recommendations, and tailored ads based on past activity from this browser, like previous Google searches. We also use cookies and data to tailor the experience to be age-appropriate, if relevant.

If you choose to “Accept all,” we will also use cookies and data to

Develop and improve new services

Deliver and measure the effectiveness of ads

Show personalized content, depending on your settings

Show personalized ads, depending on your settings

If you choose to “Reject all,” we will not use cookies for these additional purposes.

Non-personalized content is influenced by things like the content you’re currently viewing, activity in your active Search session, and your location. Non-personalized ads are influenced by the content you’re currently viewing and your general location. Personalized content and ads can also include more relevant results, recommendations, and tailored ads based on past activity from this browser, like previous Google searches. We also use cookies and data to tailor the experience to be age-appropriate, if relevant.

End of the pier football, we might call it. Breathless and raucous. Fast, frenzied and littered with errors. Blurring the senses, spinning the mind and serving up a couple of hours of brilliant and chaotic entertainment by the seaside.

Tottenham were two up and cruising. They led through Brennan Johnson, his sixth in six consecutive games and the away end were serenading him with his new tune, “Johnson again ole, ole”.

Spurs were slick with the ball and aggressive without it, James Maddison stretched the lead, and they might easily have gone further clear.

How they contrived to lose from here is a mystery. Answers on a postcard.

Brighton certainly deserve credit. They had been flat, too passive at the start of the game. They let the visitors dominate but they came out fighting in the second half and lifted the mood when Yankuba Minteh struck early to reduce the deficit.

Georginio Rutter levelled inducing which spread panic through Tottenham’s defensive ranks and Danny Welbeck headed in the winner. Three goals in 18 minutes to turn the contest upside and lift Brighton into sixth.

For Spurs, the sobering defeat brought and encouraging sequence of five wins in a row since losing the North London derby ground to an abrupt halt and all the same old questions came tumbling down upon him.

Are the too open? Shouldn’t they close these games down? The alarming nature of the collapse left Ange Postecoglou seething quietly about the “most disappointing” display of his tenure, and the shocking absence of competitiveness as the points slipped through his hands.

None of this had seemed at all plausible as Tottenham came out with such great intent. They ought to have scored within seconds when Timo Werner, deputising once again for injured captain Heung-min Son on the left, sped clear.

Werner’s attempt to find Johnson with a simple cross went astray, but he continued to cause problems for Joel Veltmann in the opening phase, bringing the full-back to a standstill then bursting past with an explosion of pace.

Had the German been operating with Johnson’s confidence in front of goal the damage inflicted might have been greater. Dejan Kulusevski shone in the first half, combining with full back Pedro Porro and winger Johnson.

Maddison thought he had claimed the opener when he deflected a Werner header over the line from close range but there was a flag up and replays confirmed Porro a fraction offside before breaking clear to make the cross.

Postecoglou’s team did not dwell on the setback and went ahead seconds later. Maddison found Dominic Solanke and his pass was finished effortlessly by Johnson on the run, sweeping it past Bart Verbruggen with his left foot to become the first Tottenham player since Harry Kane in January 2019 to score six in six.

Brighton had been unusually standoffish until this point. Certainly not helped by losing central defender Adam Webster to a hamstring injury after only eight minutes, but Fabian Hurzeler reshuffled and they showed more adventure once behind.

Kaoru Mitoma cut loose and started to dazzle, threatening in the plentiful space behind Porro. Welbeck slid one Mitoma cross wide and Jack Hinshelwood headed another wide before they helped Tottenham to a second.

This one was scored by Maddison, a low curling shot after quick break on the turnover and a short square pass by Werner, but it will go down as a mistake by Verbruggen who should have kept it out after getting down with two hands.

Johnson had a glorious chance to make it 3-0 before the interval. Released by Kulusevski, he took a touch and aimed high with his right foot over Verbruggen. This time, too high.

Postecoglou threw his hands to his head as the ball landed in the away end. Perhaps he suspected Brighton could only improve but cannot have anticipated just how quickly the game slip away.

Minteh’s goal three minutes into the second half revived hope inside the Amex Stadium with a poor goal to concede from Tottenham’s angle.

A low cross by Mitoma was flicked on by Micky van de Ven as he slid to clear, and that slight touch deceived Destiny Udgodie as it sped his way and he failed to avert the danger at the back post.

Minteh pounced to slam it past Guglielmo Vicario and 10 minutes later the teams were all square. Again, Van de Ven and Udogie were culpable, exposed at the back as they allowed Rutter to hold them off as he collected a pass from Mitoma and found the net with his left foot.

Postecoglou’s team did not stop trying to forward but suddenly they found it difficult to escape their own half and Brighton seemed capable of scoring at will as they poured forward.

Rutter’s physical presence and determination created Brighton’s third. He rolled clear of Udogie with little trouble. Tottenham’s left back, just back from injury, cut a tormented figure in the second half but he was not alone.

Rodrigo Bentancur failed to complete the fairly simple task of stopping Rutter from crossing the ball and Welbeck gave Cristian Romero the slip as he sprang high to score with a fine downward header.

Brighton withdrew again, tried to slow things down and invite their opponents on with a view to picking them off again on the counterattack. Verbruggen was cautioned for time-wasting but Spurs hardly looked as if they knew how to get out of the hole they had dug for themselves.

Udogie forced a save from Verbruggen with a low shot from the edge of the penalty area but there was no late pressure. No way back for Tottenham as they lost a Premier League game for the 10th time having led by two or more goals.

They are the first team to reach double figures in this roll call of ignominy. Good old Spursy by the sea, as they like to sing around these parts.

Tottenham Hotspur are 5/4 favourites with Sky Bet to make it three straight wins in the Premier League today - as Ange Postecoglou's side travel to American Express Stadium to take on Brighton.

Conversely, the Seagulls are marginal outsiders 17/10 to secure the win in enemy territory, while a draw is valued at 29/10 odds.

In a separate market - Sky Bet are offering four Price Boosts for this match-up - the first two of which are Brennan Johnson to have 1+ shots on target at 1/1, and Cristian Romero to commit 2+ fouls at 3/1.

For those interested in the above bets - Johnson has scored five goals across all competitions this season.

Meanwhile, the other two boosts are Bart Verbruggen to make six or more saves at 11/2, and James Maddison to score from outside the area at 12/1.

Sky Bet odds in Full-time Result market for Brighton vs Tottenham Hotspur:

Tottenham Hotspur 5/4

Brighton 17/10

Draw 29/10

Sky Bet Price Boosts for Brighton vs Tottenham Hotspur:

Brennan Johnson to have 1+ shots on target WAS 8/11 NOW 1/1

Cristian Romero to commit 2+ fouls WAS 9/4 NOW 3/1

Bart Verbruggen to make 6+ saves WAS 4/1 NOW 11/2

James Maddison to score from outside the area WAS 9/1 NOW 12/1

For so many years, it was Harry Kane and Son Heung-min who were the heart of the Tottenham attack.

Between the Januarys of 2019 and 2024 Spurs didn't win a Premier League game without at least one of them in the side. It couldn't go on forever.

Ange Postecoglou managed without the departed Kane last season and this term we're seeing a further shift. Son remains a top player but he's 32 and has a hamstring injury. The torch is being passed to Tottenham's exciting new guard.

Brennan Johnson is 23 and is showing he can be the man for a big occasion in any competition. Dominic Solanke is the new leader of the attack. Dejan Kulusevski is more creative than ever and James Maddison is getting back to his best.

Old lights fade eventually but Spurs' new stars are burning bright.

No chance, Son

Son is attempting just 1.4 shots per game, his lowest since joining Spurs.

A man on fire

Ange no longer needs to rely on the old timers.

Brennan Johnson has now scored in each of his last five Tottenham games — they have been the winning strike in each of them

Kulu holds the key

The key to Spurs' attack is Dejan Kulusevski. Just a goal and an assist so far but his creativity has been crucial.

Only one player created more chances over the first six weeks while he and Cole Palmer had the most from open play (15).

Solanke leading the line

Solanke has been the perfect focal point for the Spurs attack.

Since his return from injury, no one in the Premier League boasted a higher Expected Goals (xG) before this weekend's games.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has leapt to the defence of misfiring forward Timo Werner, declaring 'he's not hopeless'.

Werner is yet to score for Tottenham this season despite finding himself in prime goalscoring opportunities.

The German was denied twice by Andre Onana when he was put through on goal during Tottenham's resounding 3-0 win over Manchester United last Sunday.

Werner also failed to bury a one-on-one chance during Tottenham's midweek Europa League tie against Ferencvaros.

The 28-year-old has not scored for Tottenham since a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa last March.

However, Postecoglou pointed to Werner's teammate Brennan Johnson as a prime example of why he is backing the German to turn his fortunes around.

Johnson bore the brunt of heavy criticism from Tottenham fans and deleted his Instagram in the wake of the 1-0 loss to Arsenal in the north London derby.

But the Welsh winger has silenced his critics with a run of scoring in five straight games.

'It was 14 days ago those questions were asked of Brennan,' Postecoglou said in his press conference on Friday.

'It's where we're at in this world. We just think, 'He's missed two chances, so he's hopeless'. No, he's not hopeless. All footballers at this level are very, very good footballers.'

Postecoglou referenced a positive action from the German during the game against Ferencvaros, when he beat his man to whip in a 'brilliant cross' for teammate Will Lankshear, who couldn't quite meet it.

'If that goes in, he's had a great assist,' Postecoglou said.

'He then gets a one-on-one, if he scores that, if in the last two games he gets a couple of goals, then we'd be having a different conversation. But that's fine lines.

'In terms of his general play, I think his last two games have been really good for us. He's been taking on players, getting in the right areas.'

The Tottenham boss is no fool and knows goals are the easiest way to silence those who have vocalised their doubts about Werner.

Regardless, Postecoglou intends to 'persevere' with Werner as he fully believes in him.

'Yes, goals help,' Postecoglou said.

'We've seen that with Brennan. But that doesn't mean he's not a good player and that's where I get really annoyed when they put everything on that moment to say he's not a good player. Of course he's a good player. He's a fantastic player.

'Scoring goals would help him, would help us, yes. But we'll persevere with him because I still think he's contributing to the team.'

Werner, who started against Manchester United and Ferencvaros at left wing, appears likely to retain his position as Tottenham skipper Heung-Min Son is out with injury.

Son went off injured in the second half of Tottenham's 3-0 win over Qarabag in the Europa League last week.

Slumped in his chair in the immediate aftermath of Tottenham’s north London derby defeat, Brennan Johnson reached for his phone.

He scrolled. He scrolled some more. Before he knew it, Johnson was lost in an abyss of social media hate. Not only that, the abuse was from accounts owned by people purporting to be Tottenham fans.

Later that night, after seeking advice from loved ones, he took a decision to deactivate his Instagram account. It’s a choice that appears to have ignited his season. Tottenham’s, too.

Fast forward a fortnight and a mocked up photo of Johnson morphing into the original Ronaldo was going viral following Sunday’s 3-0 victory at Old Trafford.

Aren’t fans fickle, eh? One minute, you’re off social media to avoid a bombardment of abuse; the next - following a run of four goals in four games - the same accounts are comparing you to a Brazilian legend.

The contrariety of it all isn’t lost on Johnson. He knows he isn’t Ronaldo. Equally, he knows he isn’t as inept as many Spurs fans would have had you believe.

Much was made of Johnson’s decision to deactivate his Insta page following the loss to Arsenal on September 15. He knew it would cause a stir, particularly because of the timing of it.

Indeed, Tottenham staff and his team-mates rushed to rally round the Wales international, concerned for his mental well-being. Captain Heung-min Son and James Maddison are understood to have been particularly supportive of their team-mate in the confines of their Enfield training base.

‘Brennan is first and foremost a very good friend,’ said Maddison on Wednesday. ‘A lot has been made of him coming off social media which to him was probably not such a big thing.

‘He’s the type of guy to have a break from that stuff anyway. But since he’s gone four in four I don’t think I’ll be telling him to redownload anytime soon! He’s a great kid, a brilliant player. No-one has ever doubted that but he’s really showing it at the minute, consistently.

‘That Ronaldo picture was a bit tongue in cheek. We found it funny when it was put in our group-chat. But hopefully he can continue this form because he’s a real threat for us.’

As Maddison says, coming off social media wasn’t wasn’t that big a deal for Johnson. He wasn’t teetering on the brink. Far from it. Speak to those close to the 23-year-old and they’ll describe a laid-back young man who, behind the babyface charm and good manners, has a ruthless layer.

For example, in recent days, rather than basking in the glory of his current hot streak, Johnson has privately rued the opportunities he has squandered and believes he should have scored at least seven goals already this season. That mindset provides a snapshot into Johnson’s mentality. Never satisfied.

‘He’s mentally stronger than people think,’ says a Spurs source. ‘He is a lovely kid, very polite, but if he doesn’t like something he’s got no problems with telling you.’

Much of that relentless drive was nurtured in his formative years growing up in a football environment. His father David, 48, carved out a successful playing career in England; most notably with Nottingham Forest and Ipswich.

The trials and tribulations of being a professional footballer is a dynamic Johnson has grown up with. His upbringing has helped him negotiate his recent career challenges.

David, whilst making a conscious decision not to be overbearing, remains a constant by Johnson’s side. He travels to all of his son’s matches - indeed, he was a guest of Tottenham for Sunday’s win at Manchester United, the club David joined as a trainee in 1992, as Johnson scored the opener and created his team’s second finished by Dejan Kulusevski.

Johnson has been targeted before on social media, and it is said the most recent abuse he has received is not particularly more vociferous than anything from the past.

This time, however, Johnson took a decision that he no longer wanted the distraction. He feels his account is unproductive at this point in his career. ‘It contributes nothing but negativity. It just wastes unnecessary energy,’ adds the insider.

‘Seeing all this s*** on his phone wasn’t healthy for focus,’ says another insider.

But any of his abusers who believe they have instigated Johnson’s impressive riposte are kidding themselves. Of course, there was an element of ‘I’ll prove you wrong’ but this was never about reacting to his tormentors, nor a sign of weakness.

Just three days after shutting down his Insta page, Johnson was scoring a 90th minute winner in a Carabao Cup win over Coventry. And he hasn’t stop scoring since. After that goal at Coventry, there appeared a clear reluctance from Johnson to approach the travelling fans who, ironically, were suddenly rejoicing in Johnson’s contribution.

One minute you’re abusing him, the next your lauding him? If Johnson was perplexed by the authenticity of it all, then it’s understandable.

Since that night, he has been the toast of the Spurs faithful whilst there is an impression from behind the scenes at the club’s training centre that Johnson’s ordeal has nurtured a greater sense of togetherness in the squad. A determination to protect one of their own.

Was Johnson viewed as an easy scapegoat by supporters for the team’s mediocre start to the season? Probably.

He doesn’t necessarily have the credit in the bank that the likes of Son, Maddison and Kulusevski do.

Yet in saying that, Johnson was the third highest assist maker in the Premier League last season with 10 - behind only Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer.

Moving forward, Johnson is not ruling out re-activating his Insta page one day. If he does, the stunning turnaround in his fortunes should act as a cautionary tale to those tempted to abuse him or any other footballer again.

Or, at the very least, make them feel silly.

Sue Gray enjoyed hundreds of pounds-worth of hospitality tickets to several football matches, it was reported last night.

The Prime Minister’s chief of staff received tickets to the North London derby at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April and another Premier League football fixture at the same venue a month before, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Details of the two new freebies come after The Mail on Sunday revealed Ms Gray, Sir Keir Starmer Foreign Secretary David Lammy shared lavish hospitality in a corporate box at Tottenham Hotspur to watch the side’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal last month.

The Telegraph reported that Ms Gray first accepted matchday hospitality from Tottenham Hotspur during the club’s 3-1 win against Crystal Palace in March.

This was followed by a match in which Spurs lost 3-2 to Arsenal at the same stadium the next month, bringing the number of match days she has enjoyed hospitality at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to at least three.

Critics say the invites threatens the PM’s impartiality over the planned football regulator, which would have the power to stop teams joining breakaway leagues and to block investment from controversial countries.

Ms Gray also enjoyed a two-day trip to the networking Braemar Summit in the Scottish Highlands in September last year, days after becoming Sir Keir’s chief of staff.

The event has been nicknamed ‘McDavos’.

It comes amid the growing row over freebies engulfing Sir Keir’s premiership.

On Friday it emerged the PM has accepted £32,000-worth of clothing donations from Labour peer Lord Alli - double the amount he had previously declared.

And on Sunday it was revealed that a second central London property belonging to Lord Alli was made available to the PM and other senior party figures in the run-up to the election.

The Georgian townhouse in Soho was used for strategy meetings, while the PM and his family moved into a nearby £18million townhouse in Covent Garden - also owned by the peer - during the election.

The scandal sparked the resignation of now-independent MP Rosie Duffield on Saturday, who said ‘the sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice’ of Sir Keir’s administration ‘are off the scale’.

The PM has received many more freebies than any other MP since becoming Labour leader, receiving £107,145-worth since 2019, including for dozens of football matches and concerts.