High Court orders liquidation of Happy Valley FC

The High Court has ordered the liquidation of Happy Valley Football Club Ltd on Wednesday after the winding-up petition filed by former player Charlie Scott was proceeded. 

The petition was filed on September 29 by 26-year-old midfielder Scott from England, who now plays for Hong Kong Premier League club Kitchee SC. 

Both sides didn’t have their representatives in court today. Master Lawrence Yip Sue-pui then pointed out that Scott’s side has completed the winding-up procedures and ordered the immediate liquidation of the club without any objection from Happy Valley. 

Records show that Scott and his teammates had opened a file at the Football Association of Hong Kong, China and the Labour Department over unsettled salaries in 2021 – the same year he signed up for Kitchee. 

The club’s former convener Chan Chi-sat admitted last month to a total of 30 court summonses on behalf of himself and the club for failing to pay the players over HK$1.35 million in salaries. 

He earlier revealed that the club faced insolvency and he had stopped injecting funds since the pandemic due to financial difficulties. 

This year he settled all unpaid salaries using his personal funds and was handed a 240-hour community service order in Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts yesterday (Tue). The club was fined HK$147,000.