11 footballers, coach arrested over match-fixing
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) on Tuesday said it had arrested 11 members of a Hong Kong First Division football team and their coach on suspicion of match-fixing during the current season. The anti-corruption watchdog said they were arrested along with 11 other people, including members of a syndicate that took part in illegal bookmaking. The principal investigator of the ICAC's Operations Department, Kate Cheuk, said they suspect the syndicate bribed each player with several thousand dollars per match, and then placed bets through unlawful channels to make money. "Some players, on top of receiving bribes, would also place bets themselves through illegal bookmakers to make extra money," she said. Chief investigator Allen Leung said the players would lose games on purpose, adding that the parties involved would communicate during the match with signals. "We noticed that some suspected illegal bookmakers would show up at the match venue, and these people, the coach and players might communicate using signals, like exaggerated movements or body language," he said. "For example, they would pull their socks up or down, or put on or remove their hoodies. These were actually signals telling players or others how to handle or fix the match." The watchdog said they arrested 22 men and one woman, aged between 25 and 36, on Monday. Officers refused to name the football team involved, but said it either lost or drew 18 of the 26 matches it played this season. RTHK has learnt that the team is Happy Valley Athletic Association. The chairman of the Hong Kong Football Association, Pui Kwan Kay, said they have "zero tolerance" of match-fixing, and he regrets to see any such behaviour.